TMCnet Feature

Two Canadian companies, Rogers Communications and BCE (News - Alert), may become partners for Apple iTV, which could be offered sometime later this year.

The Toronto Globe & Mail reported that Rogers and Bell already has a prototype of the iTV in its labs.

The TV product, which is now under development, would also be offered in the United States, where Apple (News - Alert) would likely partner with one or two U.S.-based companies for its launch, according to news reports.

“We believe it is likely to be offered by AT&T … and Verizon (News - Alert) … in the U.S. and Bell and Rogers in Canada,” Misek told investors on Monday, the Toronto newspaper reported.

It is expected that the iTV would offer a large screen product similar to an iPad for at-home use. In addition, it would use Siri, a voice-recognition software product, as viewers select programs to watch. The viewers could use voice or hand gestures to operate the iTV, as well as a keyboard which would appear on the screen. Viewers could use the iTV to search the web, have video chats or use Twitter or Facebook (News - Alert). All of this would mean that users would not have to use a remote to change channels, according to The Business Insider. The device may or may not be able to use the iPhone (News - Alert) or iPad as a remote control, The Business Insider adds.

Siri was developed by Apple for iPhones, according to a report from TMCnet. It is likely Apple would use the same software for controlling the iTV, TMCnet adds. The Globe & Mail also reported that Peter Misek, an analyst at Jeffries, speculated that the iTV could be used with mobile devices, and could be used for games.

In a related matter, Gene Munster, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, predicted last month if Apple releases the iTV during the current year, it could sell 1.4 million units, according to The Washington Post.