Did Ikea just beat Apple to the all-in-one television?

Can Ikea’s new Uppleva system solve our collective television problem?

For too long we’ve been juggling too many remote controls, shoving unsightly tangles of electric cords behind bookshelves, and precariously stacking video game players on top of Blu-ray players on top of cable boxes.

It’s not pretty. It’s not convenient. And it’s not easy.

But now Ikea has announced a new product designed to clear the clutter associated with watching television.

They call it Uppleva.

The Uppleva system is a cross between a television and a piece of furniture. Think of it as a television stand in which all the pieces of your television are built in. So the Blu-ray player, DVD player, CD player and speakers are hidden in the furniture, while a wireless subwoofer can be placed anywhere you want around the room.

All the components of the Uppleva can be operated via a single remote control, and the front of the furniture part of the system hiding the unsightly components still lets signals from your remote control through. So now you don’t have to be able to see it, just to control it.

The HD LED television, developed by Ikea in cooperation with Chinese television maker TCL Multimedia, is available in three sizes. It is also Wi-Fi ready and has smart TV capabilities, meaning you can connect it to the Internet.

The only bummer is that the Uppleva won’t be available here in America for a while. Reuters reports that the the system will come to five European cities in June, spreading to seven European countries by the fall and hitting remaining markets (like ours) in 2013.

Prices will start around $960 for the most basic combination, but this being Ikea, you’ll have lots of opportunities to customize the system, and expand the cost.

The dawn of a new television era is here!

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