Apple television gamble the talk of CES

Apple is the only company that consistently gets big buzz out of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - without even attending. This year will be no different. Connected TVs - TVs that connect to and can access content from the Internet - will be a big part of CES this year. And just about everyone in tech expects Apple at some point to launch such a television - an iTV - that easily consumes and shares with other Apple devices content served from the company's media-storing iCloud.

"I do expect Apple to make an attempt," says Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, "since I expect the living room to remain a center for family entertainment, and that touches on all areas of consumer products that Apple is already making."

Apple declined to comment on its television plans, but the potential iTV is getting lots of chatter from others going into CES, which begins Jan. 10.

An Apple television foray makes sense. People could use any Apple device to buy TV shows, movies, music or games through iTunes and then play their purchases across all Apple's products — including a full-blown television in their living room.

But a major roadblock for Apple along the way has been securing content needed to make an iTV succeed. The problems Apple is having securing content deals were described in an interview with a person who worked in the Apple TV group and verified by two television industry sources. All declined to be identified because of the confidential nature of the talks.

They say Apple has been unable to cut deals that would let it offer first-tier TV network programs for an à la carte iTunes TV service. That's seen as a key element to launching a revolutionary iTV.