iTV To Go 'Beyond Streaming'?

After a recent meeting with top Apple executives, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff believes that Apple's iTV will go beyond simply streaming video (reported by AppleInsider).

"Though details remain sketchy, Apple emphasized [the] focus of iTV [is] to improve user experience by leveraging its software expertise and implied that there may be features beyond the mere streaming of video content," the analyst wrote.

The iTV is already known to be able to stream music and photos as well, and the possibility of Apple including an internal hard drive in the iTV has already been raised, but the analyst also believes the iTV will have advanced user interface software to further the ultimate goal of improving user experience and simplifying consumers' use of content.

Apple also reportedly (and not surprisingly) has a number of products currently in development that are likely to be introduced over several years. During Apple's September "It's Showtime" event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that Apple was now "in your den... in your living room... in your car... in your pocket", and hinted that that theme gave a "little idea of where [Apple] is going."