After releasing the HomePod 2 in early 2023, there have been a number of varying rumors about what’s next for HomePod. Some rumors suggest that Apple is taking a dive into smart home tabletop robotics, while others suggest that Apple is working on a more traditional smart display, one that provides Apple Intelligence for the home, while being cheaper than an iPad.
Apple Intelligence support
Apple’s upcoming smart home product with a display, which is internally known as ‘HomeAccessory’ under codename J490, is expected to have an A18 chipset. This would mean it’d support the full Apple Intelligence feature set and the all new Siri, unlike any existing HomePod model.
HomePod and HomePod mini both use chipsets from Apple Watch models, the S7 and S5 chips respectively. It’s unclear if Apple has short term refresh plans for the normal HomePods to support Apple Intelligence, but regardless, the potential HomePod with display will likely be the first smart home product from Apple with Apple Intelligence.
7-inch LCD display
According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s smart display product is likely to include a 7-inch LCD display, similar to products such as the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. This panel would be exclusively provided by a new supplier known as Tianma.
Kuo believes the new product would provide “tighter integration with Apple’s other hardware products, marking a significant shift in the company’s smart home strategy.”
On the other hand, Kuo’s initial reporting stated that this would be on track to launch in early 2024, which obviously didn’t happen. Apple’s plans could’ve potentially shifted since then.
Unique form factor
Apple’s upcoming product will feature a built-in camera for FaceTime and over video conferencing apps, unlike some other smart home displays. However, unlike those products, Apple might not just attach a cheap display to a speaker, and rather make the display the focus of the product.
In the past, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has referred to the product as an “iPad-like smart display that could be magnetically attached to a wall.”
It’s unclear what appeal this would have compared to a cheap iPad, so I personally have my doubts, but this is what Apple is potentially working on.
A new operating system: homeOS
According to new reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will likely be going ahead with the “homeOS” naming for their upcoming operating system for smart home products with displays. This aligns with previous reporting from earlier in the year.
9to5Mac has also previously found a lock screen interface within a tvOS 18 beta, internally known as PlasterBoard. This likely means that tvOS will be the basis of homeOS for the upcoming products.
Release date
According to 9to5Mac sources, Apple is aiming to release this product in the spring of 2025. Plans could obviously change, but we’ll probably see this product sometime next year regardless.
Are you excited for Apple’s upcoming venture into standalone smart home products with displays? Let us know in the comments.
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