Apple just released the revised HomePod earlier this year, but there are already rumors about the company’s next big smart home launch. And if the speculation is true, we could be seeing a radical new type of HomePod hit the market in early 2024.
The rumors come from an industry analyst. Ming Chi Kuo. According to Kuo, the next HomePod will feature a 7-inch touchscreen panel and will be designed to allow for easier integration with other products in Apple’s lineup. In other words, it sounds like a smart display, which isn’t revolutionary, but it would be the first smart display produced by Apple.
The current HomePod uses a small circular screen to control the action, although little information is actually displayed on the touchscreen.
Kuo’s report lines up with reports earlier this year that Apple is in the midst of developing an iPad-like device for its smart home portfolio. Unfortunately, the latest rumors don’t give us much more detail about what a smart display from Apple might look like, but they lend credence to earlier reports. And considering that Apple is a huge supporter of Matter, it makes sense that it would offer competition to the Google Nest and Amazon Echo lineups of smart displays.
While we don’t yet know the details of the rumored HomePod smart display, Kuo mentions that its display will likely be produced by Tianma, a company that “specializes in providing state-of-the-art display solutions.” Apple displays are always among the best in class, so it will be interesting to see if this new smart home product follows that trend and does something unique to set itself apart from other smart displays on the market.
Expect to learn more about Apple’s HomePod with a seven-inch screen as we get closer to 2024.
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