By Mikey Campbell While speculation of an Apple-built HDTV has cooled somewhat amid the launch of the iPhone 5 and expected “iPad mini,” one analyst says the company’s next market disruptor is already here, and it’s not a TV.In a research note shared with AppleInsider, Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes believes TV remotes, not TVs themselves, may be key to Apple’s “next big thing.” Apple has more control to expand the total addressable market (TAM) for its mobile products, like the iPhone and iPad, than its competitors, and therefore has the ability to offer innovative software and hardware features at accessible prices.

“We feel one of the best ways to increase the iOS device TAM is by expanding use cases so that every home could use an iOS device as a TV remote,” Reitzes writes.

For the near term, Reitzes believes the iPad is the most ripe for TAM expansion, though Apple “needs to make this product better through software – and allow it to control more tasks in your life.” The iPad has already enjoyed major success in taking over 60 percent of the tablet market while canibalizing traditional PC sales.

Furthering speculation of the so-called “iPad mini,” the analyst notes the much-rumored tablet’s smaller 7.85-inch format could be one of the first to expand TAM by becoming a TV remote.

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