Key Takeaways:
- Apple rumored to be working on a new HomePod with an LCD panel
- Apple insider Kosutami shared sneak peeks of the new smart speaker with a curved display playing media from Apple Music and Podcasts.
- The tech giant plans to overhaul its smart home strategy due to underperformance against Amazon and Roku in the market.
Prominent Apple leaker and prototype collector “Kosutami” has revealed that Apple is working on a new HomePod featuring a curved LCD display.
In October, Kosutami shared pictures of parts that allegedly belonged to a prototype HomePod with a touchscreen sensor at the top that had a much larger area than the current panel found on Apple’s smart speakers.
Apple is Testing a New HomePod with an Interactive LCD Display
Apple-related news outlet 9to5Mac verified the legitimacy of the images with its sources to determine that the prototype, codenamed B720, is an all-new product being developed by Apple, rather than an experiment.
In a recent X post, Kosutami shared a few more details about the prototype HomePod. He noted that the B720 will retain the size and design of the second-generation HomePod that was introduced earlier this year.
The display at the top is also said to remain the same size, with the only difference being that it will be an LCD panel.
HomePods currently have a combination of LEDs that display different colors to denote Siri.
However, Apple wants to make the HomePod more appealing to customers and is reportedly adding a fully functional display to improve users’ interactions with the smart speaker.
Kosutami says the screen looks flat to the eye but will be covered by a convex glass. Although it is unclear what the new HomePod interface will look like, 9to5Mac learned earlier that the screen will display basic information about the media being played on Apple Music and Apple Podcast.
A code shown in tvOS 17 while testing the new HomePod suggested that Apple may be rewriting the Apple Music and Apple Podcast apps to be compatible with the LCD panel.
The display is set to show a blurred animation based on the colors of the album art when a song or podcast is playing.
Additionally, the HomePod could show important notifications to the user, and also allow them to answer phone calls and reply to messages.
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Apple is Working on a New Device That Will be a combination of the AppleTV and HomePod
Bloomberg’s tech journalist Mark Gruman reported in 2021 that Apple may be working on new HomePods with displays and cameras.
Earlier this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Cupertino has plans to release a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display in the first half of 2024.
There were also reports that Apple is working on multi-touch functionality for the HomePod, as well as two new devices, with one being a combination of the AppleTV and the HomePod and the other a HomePod with a screen mounted on a robotic arm.
At present, the HomePod runs on a tweaked version of the tvOS, but rumors are indicating that Apple is developing a new “homeOS” platform.
Cupertino is Rethinking its Smart Home Strategy as HomePod and AppleTV Fail to Sell
In his “Power On” newsletter, Gruman said that Apple is “rethinking” its smart home strategy as engineers expressed concerns regarding the direction the company was taking when it came to smart home devices.
The engineers told Gruman that Apple doesn’t have a strong living room hardware strategy compared to Amazon or Roku, and there wasn’t much optimism internally either.
He wrote that if the upcoming HomePod and AppleTV devices don’t perform well in the market, Apple may consider binning the products altogether.
Apple’s current HomePod lineup, which includes the larger HomePod and the compact HomePod Mini, are priced at $299 and $99, respectively.
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