Thursday Apple Rumors: Google, Netflix to Challenge AirPlay

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daily apple rumors AAPLHere are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

TV Partnership: Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) YouTube and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) are teaming to develop a potential rival to Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) AirPlay system, Time notes. AirPlay allows users to send video or audio content from their iPhones or iPads to AirPlay-enabled TVs without the need to set up additional equipment. Netflix and Google have developed a new protocol called DIAL, which permits users to do the same from Android devices. With DIAL, Android device users will be able to tap a button on video apps and send content to their TVs. A number of TV sets are being made with DIAL functionality built-in, including models from Samsung.  Sony (NYSE:SNE) has also been working on the protocol. New features can be added through software updates. While DIAL provides the platform to send material to TV sets, app developers will still have to add that feature to their apps. At present, AirPlay offers more features, and is already available. However, DIAL’s development appears to signal that Android is catching up.

New Hints: In a conference call on Wednesday discussing Apple’s quarterly results, CEO Tim Cook again stoked speculation that the tech giant plans to launch either a TV set or set-top box, AppleInsider notes. Cook noted that he has previously identified the television market as an area of interest for Apple and that hasn’t changed. He added that “there’s a lot we can contribute in this space,” but refused to identify any specific products that might be under development. Rumors of an Apple-branded TV set surged early last year, but cooled during the summer as speculation shifted toward the possibility of a set-top box. Last month speculation over a possible TV was reignited after reports emerged from Asia that Apple was testing various prototypes.

No Change: During the same conference call, Cook also appeared to pour cold water on the idea that Apple would move to increase the iPhone’s screen size in future models, the Wall Street Journal noted. Apple adopted a bigger 4-inch screen with the iPhone 5, which launched in September, abandoning the 3.5-inch screen that had been standard on iPhones since 2007. However, the growing popularity of larger-screen Android smartphones has prompted speculation that Apple might increase the iPhone’s screen size again in its next generation. Speaking on yesterday’s conference call, Cook said that the iPhone 5’s screen offered users the best compromise between screen space and ease of use. “We put a lot of thinking into screen size and believe we’ve picked the right one,” Cook said. Of course, the late Steve Jobs famously dismissed smaller-screen tablets, but that didn’t stop Apple from rolling out the iPad Mini in October.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


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