In the past, we’ve heard rumblings about Apple making an HDTV product. We’re not talking about the Apple TV set-top, but an actual HDTV. Now, if rumors are correct, the company may actually be putting those plans into motion.

Now, we must say that we’ve heard Apple rumors before—a lot of them, in fact. However, Bloomberg is citing internal sources who claim that Jeff Robbin is being put on the TV project. The engineer isn’t exactly a household name, but he should be. He’s the vice president of consumer applications at Apple, Inc. and lead software designer for iTunes. He’s also one of the people responsible for the iPod. 

Of course, none of this is official. All of it, however, is pretty interesting.

The idea that Apple could make a TV is certainly nothing new. However, Steve Jobs apparently thought about it quite a bit. According Walter Isaacson’s newly released biography, the late Apple co-founder said, “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

Even Jobs’ vision doesn’t guarantee that we will ever see an Apple-branded TV make it to market. It certainly seems to be heading in that direction, though. And even though current manufacturers are stuffing as many features into new sets (3D! Web access! Games!) to make that tough sell, they also don’t have legions of fans lining up for the company’s latest and greatest.

So the question is really not when Apple would release a TV. (In case you’re wondering, though, Bloomberg says it could be 2013.) The big question is how it would change the market. Could you imagine incorporating items such the iCloud and Siri voice commands into your regular TV viewing? That’s aside from the many possibilities that would come from integrating the iPad, iPod and/or iPhone into the equation.

Based on your current experiences with the iPod, iPhone and/or iPad, would you consider buying (or even lining up for) an Apple-branded HDTV?

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.