Apple, Intel Can Both Win Television

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- I spend countless hours questioning what I think I know about everything from reasons for my existence to less lofty propositions such as what will Apple (AAPL) do next and can Intel (INTC) succeed in the living room?

It's a tortuous process that usually ends with frustration upon the realization that I know nothing, followed by the decision to move forward anyway with careful consideration, reflection and introspection.

It's liberating to come to the conclusion that you know nothing. This seemingly unfortunate outcome keeps you humble, but, more importantly, keeps the wheels of critical thought turning. Because, if you discovered you actually know something, you might shut off that portion of your investigation. Not good.

All of this to say, very few people have even the foggiest idea of what's happening inside Apple. Sadly, all of the latest rumors combine to create a false perception of reality that brings us to what we have now -- the media's Apple versus Apple's Apple.

We have access to the former because it's cheap -- often free -- and the folks who craft the media's Apple want to let us in. They require our participation. Apple has no interest and no reason to let anybody, other than those already on the inside, behind the curtain.

Intel doesn't say much either. However, in an excellent interview with All Things D, Erik Huggers, the President of Intel Media -- the division that might actually save Intel from an embarrassing death spiral -- said a heck of a lot more than Steve Jobs and Tim Cook have combined to say about the living room in the last five years.