14 gadgets we wish would be unveiled at CES

Let's face it: The Consumer Electronics Show has become predictable. Here's CNNMoney's list of gadgets we wish would be launched at this year's CES.

Apple iTV, or another savior

gallery gadget unicorns apple itv

Apple has almost given up on keeping its TV ambitions a secret. "When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years," CEO Tim Cook told NBC's Brian Williams in a recent interview. "It's an area of intense interest. I can't say more than that."

So why don't we have an Apple "iTV" yet? Because cable and content companies don't want to go the way of the music and wireless industries -- two previous markets that Apple (AAPL) "transformed." While the executives wrangle it out, consumers are stuck with a patchwork of dueling devices, interfaces and subscriptions.

Here's what we all want: One elegant, intuitive gizmo that lets us watch TV episodes and films from any content source, on our own schedule, with a sane payments system. Every major gadget maker is experimenting -- Microsoft, Google (GOOG) and Intel would love to beat Apple to the goal -- but until someone can cut through the industry's business-model tangles, the TV market seems doomed to remain a frustrating and disconnected hellscape. - SC

  @CNNTech - Last updated January 07 2013 01:36 PM ET

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