However after nearly a decade worth of research and prototyping, Apple secretly killed off the project along with any plans to release a branded HDTV set.

The plans were killed off in secret because they were originally the dream of Apple founder and messiah Steve Jobs, and even in death no one is brave enough to kill off one of his projects.

According to the Wall Street Journal  Apple could not come up with any idea which would make its televisions any different from anyone else's. Apparently the rounded rectangle had been taken, along with super thin and super big.

In the mid-2000s, it created a prototype display that was transparent, like a pane of glass, when turned off but used lasers to display an image when turned on. However the image was poor quality and unit sucked up more juice than an Irish poet at a free beer tasting event.

Apple had a go at developing a 4K display but that ended up being so expensive you would have to be a member of the one per cent to own one. Apple toyed around with included a TV with built-in FaceTime functionality but that was just too silly.

Apple depends on entering an industry where a dull product exists but has not been tarted up to the point it looks more interesting than it really is. The TV industry has been around for a while and is about as sexy as the existing technology will allow.

So instead of an Apple TV the press will start hyping Apple's own TV service which is supposed to be a lightweight offering of about 25 stations that will be priced in the $30-$40 range. Don't hold your breath.