Who knows about the rumored "iTV," but Apple has big plans for its Apple TV set-top box, according to "The Wall Street Journal" (http://macte.ch/FEBxi). The article says Apple is in talks with some of the "biggest U.S. cable operators" to use the set-top box for live television and other content.

However, before you get too excited, note that the "WSJ" adds that Apple doesn't appear to have reached a deal with any cable operators. One obstacle may be the the operator's reluctance to let Apple establish a foothold in the television business.

However, if Apple and the cable operators can hammer out a deal, "The Daily Ticker" (http://macte.ch/jDDz0) says the advantages to this sort of deal for Apple are:

° Immediate access to live TV content that consumers are already paying for (and that, otherwise, Apple would have to license directly from networks);

° A clever way of getting into the living room and TV ecosystem, without forcing consumers to change their TV-watching habits or TV providers or buy another set-top box;

° The same sort of "carrier subsidy" arrangement that has helped sell so many iPhones;

° The seamless convergence of today's TV with the future of TV, which is streaming and stored media delivered through iTunes, the Internet, etc.;

° Setting Apple up to gradually gain more leverage over the cable companies--until the day when Apple has enough households worldwide that it can go direct to the networks and render the cable companies dumb pipes.