It has long been rumored that Apple plans to release its own television set complete with its Apple TV software.

According to analyst Paul Gagnon, in order for Apple to successfully launch a TV product, it needs to achieve three goals:

1. Sell enough units to generate sufficient content purchasing points, especially among households who do not yet own Apple TV set-top boxes.

2. Offer a unique point of differentiation to capture market share from leading TV manufacturers such as Samsung and Vizio, while at the same time being able to sell the products for a high enough price to deliver typically high Apple margins.

3. Create follow-on replacement purchases to keep hardware sales from flat-lining once household penetration peaks.

Unfortunately, it seems like the plan is once again on the back burner, as Apple focuses on a more mobile approach.

Rumors of the iWatch, Apple’s wearable technology, have been abundant.  When Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Gear, a smartwatch companion to the Galaxy Note III, reports said that whatever Apple comes up with for its own wearable device plans will be a far superior product.  Previously, the iWatch has been described as a home automation solution that would allow the wearer to control their smart home directly from their wrist, performing activities such as streaming music to every room in the house, turning the lights on or off, managing the temperature, monitoring security systems, and more.

To make matters more interesting, Nike’s top FuelBand designer, Ben Shaffer, left the company for Apple in September, sparking rumors that the iWatch’s launch is imminent. Shaffer was a very important figure in Nike’s design team, and will play a very important role in Apple’s iWatch design.  Apple is known for its simplistic, yet elegant and functional designs, and that’s what Shaffer has to offer.

Also, Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated that there will be new product categories for 2014, which is likely wearable technology since it want to catch up with the competition.