Maybe Foxconn Isn't Working on an Apple TV After All

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Something must've been lost in translation last Friday, when everybody got excited about Foxconn's CEO Terry Gou's confirmation of the inevitable release of an Apple television. Foxconn now says that Gou didn't confirm anything. According to a statement sent to The Next Web, the executive "neither [confirmed] nor [speculated] about Foxconn’s involvement in the production of any product." The company added that it has a policy "not to comment on any customers or their products."

Nevertheless, Gou's statements appeared in dozens of media outlets, from The Atlantic Wire to The New York Post to Wired. So what went wrong? The translator dropped the ball, it seems. The original report in China Daily reads: "Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc's rumored upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin." However, this wasn't meant to mean that Apple is actually developing or planning to manufacture the thing. Rather, Foxconn is ready to take on the contract should it show up. In other words, they're making preparations for the possibility of an iTV.

We know what you're thinking: Why would Gou even bring up the iTV if it didn't exist? And unfortunately, we don't know for sure. It's possible that Gou was baiting the press -- and boy did he succeed! -- in order to win the  some non-negative press after a season of very bad Foxconn news. What we do know is that this little denial won't stop the Apple rumor mill from spinning. If anything, it'll start spinning faster now that we know the iTV is at least on Foxconn's radar. So stay tuned for more speculation from the Apple fanboys and girls.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.