Apple iTV to go beyond streaming video?

Apple Computer's forthcoming iTV set-top box may include features beyond streaming content and could have an impact on video similar to what the iPod has done for music, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff told clients in a research note Wednesday.

Neff said he recently emerged from a meeting with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer and Vice President of iPod Product Marketing Greg Joswiak feeling "optimistic about the company's "continued innovation and twin drivers," referring to the company's competitively priced Intel Macs and compelling new iPods.

"Ultimately, Apple's goal is to create a product that customers would want (as opposed to creating new technology merely for the sake of technology), while focusing on areas where it can differentiate," he wrote. "Apple noted that it has a number of products currently in development that are likely to be introduced over several years."