Sure, the AppleTV may not have exactly gotten off to a record start, but at least one group of analysts believes that within five years, Apple's going to take over your living room.

Forrester Research recently put out a report advising cable and satellite companies to formulate a plan on how to work with Apple or risk being swept out the door by Saint Steve and Co as soon as 2013.

23 May 2008

Forrester predicts that Apple will expand into a series of eight different products in order to take control of the market. In addition to the Apple TV, the Mac, iTunes and the Apple store, the analyst firm predicts the company issuing four new offerings: a home server, a sort of universal remote, a home installation service and a collection of digital home gadgets such as frames and alarm clocks.

The concept Forrester is putting forward is not new. Back in 2006 when Apple first rolled out the movie rental service and the AppleTV, pundits began to suggest that Apple was looking to get a jump on the living room of the future.

The product predictions are a bit spotty, and rightfully so. Anyone who claims to know what Apple will be rolling out in five years is lying, and Forrester recognizes this, pointing out that their prediction is just that, an educated guess. Still, evidence suggests they're going to be right about a few things. The new Time Capsule box and Time Machine backup system aren't far from a home server system. Combine Time Capsule with an Apple TV, and that's essentially what you have.

The in-home service is also not so far-fetched. If Apple were so inclined, they could stick a "Mac Genius" in a car and launch a home installation service. This would, however, be quite a change for a company that prides itself on the simplicity of installing and using its products.

The remote control, photo frames, and alarm clocks seem a bit less likely, as Apple has traditionally left that sort of thing to the third-party peripheral and accessory makers like Logitech and Kensington.