Is This What The Coming Apple HDTV Will Look Like?

One of my favorite tech rumors to track have been the rumors surrounding the high definition television Apple is supposedly developing — an HDTV that will blow your freakin’ mind, if the rumors about it turn out to be true. After all, Steve Jobs was reportedly obsessed with revolutionizing the television industry before he died, just as he had done with the computer, music, and mobile phone industries — so a breakthrough in this realm would be something to get excited about.

Now, courtesy of a Cult of Mac source who claims to have seen the prototype, we have an idea of what the TV will look like and what it will do.

According to our source, who has asked to remain strictly anonymous, the Apple HDTV looks like Apple’s current lineup of LED-backlit Cinema Displays but is “much bigger.” It has a built-in iSight camera for making free FaceTime video conference calls. And it has Siri, the iPhone 4S’s voice-activated virtual assistant.

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Our source claims to have seen a working prototype of the exact device Steve Jobs was talking about when he said he had “cracked TV.”

According to our source, the Apple TV looks a lot like Apple’s current lineup of Cinema Display monitors.

“It resembled an Apple monitor, only much larger,” our source said.

The Apple HDTV makes FaceTime calls using the built-in iSight camera. The camera is sophisticated, with facial recognition and the ability to zoom into the user’s face and follow them as they walk around the room. This allows users to make video calls from the couch across the room, rather than having to stand smack in front of the TV.

In addition, calls are initiated by Siri, the iPhone 4S’s virtual assistant. “[Apple] used Siri to make a FaceTime call,” the source said.

Previously, an industry expert estimated that a 42-inch Apple HDTV would cost around $1000. Guess we’d better start saving up our pocket change — this sounds a little too great not to purchase.

(HT: @antderosa)