Apple's Connected iOS-Powered HDTV Will Be Called 'iPanel'

Here's a new name for inclusion into our collective Apple vernacular: "iPanel." That's what the long-awaited, still-rumored, but possibly coming-soon connected HDTV from Apple will be called.

Forget "iTV" or the already established "Apple TV." The iPanel is all about the screen and its multifaceted splendor, not just its function as a TV. That much is being suggested this week by analyst Peter Misek with Jefferies, who says the iPanel is coming in late 2012 and it will be "far more than a TV." 

The much-anticipated television could be called “iPanel” to reflect its potential as a hub for gaming, media and more (and likely to avoid a costly naming rights deal with a U.K. television network).

To that end, Misek shared three compelling reasons with investors today as to why the new Apple television product may only be months away.

1. Last week Hon Hai announced a $800M investment in Sharp, and Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou is spending $800M to buy half of Sharp’s large-panel TV plant in Sakai. Hon Hai is a major shareholder of Taiwan panel maker Chimei Innolux, which has excess capacity. We believe the Hon Hai/Sharp deal is due to Sharp’s increasing importance to Apple and iTV.

2. Our recent checks in Asia indicate that specialty components have begun to ship to Apple’s Asia panel suppliers with polarized films, filters, and IGZO components starting to move in small quantities.

3. Our checks indicate that Apple is doubling the size of its already massive North Carolina data center.

In addition to updating the world on the forthcoming arrival of "iPanel," Misek raised his AAPL price target to $800 from $699.