Apple TV event predicted for March, TV debut in the fall

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple will hold an event in March to plug a new program that lets developers write apps for Apple TV, Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek said.

That could be a significant step for Apple TV. Steve Jobs said in late 2010 that he had plans for an app store for Apple TV.

The new program would set the stage for the new Apple TV that Misek expects will be unveiled in the fall, according to his product road map. Misek predicts the new TV will be in the 42-inch to 55-inch range and will start at $1,500.

Shares of German TV maker Loewe jumped 43% on Wednesday on rumors of a buyout bid from Apple. Rumors of a Loewe bid first circulated last May.

Misek is also expecting Apple to roll out a lower-priced iPhone and iPhone 5S in June or July, and the iPad 5 and the next iPad mini in September or October. In June 2014, he expects a 4.8-inch iPhone 6. That’s later than expected but screen suppliers are having trouble increasing the size of the iPhone, Misek reported.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook recently made it clear that Apple no longer considers TV a “hobby.”

“When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” Cook told NBC News anchor Brian Williams in an interview in December. “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”

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