But we should keep in mind that while Apple products are on the pricey side, they are firmly within the reach of the common man. Apple products seem to be deliberately positioned below the utmost premium of the price scale for each of their products (ex: you can find laptops with higher performance and a higher sticker price). Their strategy is definitely not "bigger, better, pricier, is better".
If we believe in the "common man stretching his arms" ethos, then the 85" TV screen is definitely out of the question. How many people can even fit a 85" TV into their living rooms? (count me in as one of them)
"But we should keep in mind that while Apple products are on the pricey side, they are firmly within the reach of the common man."
Just so. With the caveat that it's more like "the common middle-to-upper-middle class (hu)man." There is something for nearly every level of consumer buying power within the Apple line, but the "fat middle" of the curve is within products that are slightly premium priced.
So, where would an Apple HDTV ideally be placed? At a price point where they can have mass market, premium appeal. (I'm utterly unfamiliar with TV set prices, so can't speculate upon a number.)
They'll want to create the "BMW 3-Series of TVs", not the Audi R8 or Bugatti Veyron. So the Retina quality 85inch screen is a non-starter.
I think you missed the point. Look at Apple's MacBook line, for example. While it's true Apple makes great products, there are plenty of laptops out there with higher resolution displays, better processors, more RAM, and better video cards.
Like someone else said - Apple makes the BMW of products, not the Bugatti Veyron.
It's obvious that Apple doesn't compete on specs. Features like the iPad retina display though, or the laser-drilled sleep indicator on the MacBook Pro, or the unibody enclosures would be dramatically more expensive if they were even available, were it not for Apple's ability to secure them at large scale. There's no massive advantage or design taste in having marginally more RAM, so that's not where Apple's attention is spent.
If we believe in the "common man stretching his arms" ethos, then the 85" TV screen is definitely out of the question. How many people can even fit a 85" TV into their living rooms? (count me in as one of them)