A number of sources are again talking about the possibility of Apple getting into the television space; this is not with the AppleTV player, but instead with an iOS powered full on actual HDTV. If the rumors and speculation are to be believed, Apple is said to be partnering with Samsung to build the actual sets which Apple will sell in their retail stores.

If true, the set will be more like a marriage of many of the abilities of the Apple TV product you see today that is built into the actual TV. This means that we suspect if true that it will use iTunes and play Netflix, for example, and it should be able to support third party apps where things could get interesting if true.

Now we have talked to a number of our contacts who insist that they have not heard anything about such a move by Apple. The HDTV business is very cut throat and very price oriented; while I personally would welcome the quality and performance of an Apple-branded HDTV that would likely be based on Apple’s track record for high-end quality, I would not like the price that it would cost. And would that not be the down side that Apple would experience when they likely find that sales are not up to what they expect?

It is hard to say if the rumors and speculation are accurate, but our sources don’t seem to think so, and neither do we. Perhaps Apple will release another more powerful revision to the current Apple TV box, but right now we are just not seeing the market for a full-on Apple-branded HDTV.