At this year’sWorldwide Developers Conference , Apple dedicate a little bit of clock time to its major platforms : iOS , iPadOS , macOS , watchOS — even tvOS get some love . But one machine was prominently absent : the HomePod .
throw that Apple spent a pot of time during its keynote talking about thefuture of Siri , one might be mistaken for thinking that the HomePod , with its trust on Siri , would be at the center of such a strategy . But instead , it ’s looking increasingly like Apple ’s smart speakers will be left on the periphery as those developments roll out , or at the very least will be force tofind a workaroundto stay relevant .
Yet , it seems like there might be something else brew in the HomePod sports stadium , something that move the category forwards instead of merely consigning it to an also - run position . Something to keep your eye on .
tvOS will likely be at the heart of a HomePOd with a screen.
Display’s the thing
rumour of a HomePod with a screenhave been floating around for several years now , but they ’ve certainly begun to cull up in the preceding few week . Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman hasreported in timethat Apple has been developing a table - top “ robot ” with a projection screen that might be the first HomePod to defend Apple Intelligence lineament ; MacRumors uncovereddevice identifier for a new home accessory ; and 9to5Mac has found a touchscreen interfaceembedded in tvOS . If there ’s fire where there ’s skunk , then this is a heavy place to make some s’mores .
Apple , of class , would n’t be the first company to go down the road of adding a screen to its impudent speakers : Both Amazon and Google have long - produced version of their Echo and Home devices that include a show . That can be useful for everything from depict ambient information , like the weather prognosis , upcoming event , or presently running timers ; to allowing for telecasting playback for formula or intelligence ; to act as as a digital picture frame .
All of those features add a new dimension of utility to something like the HomePod , for times when voice ascendancy might not be the ideal manner to interact with such a gimmick or have it react with useful data . And , more to the point , it ’s a place where Apple finds itself extremely well position , thanks to its experience with successfully develop these kind of interfaces across a slew of devices .
tvOS will likely be at the heart of a HomePOd with a screen.
Reach out and touch something
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Apple in this category is that it almost hastoo manyexamples to draw on : iPadOS , tvOS — and even iOS ’s StandBy feature all leave useful templet upon which to ground such an user interface . While this putative gimmick has been described in the past as “ a HomePod with an iPad attached to it , ” it seems as though the full capabilities of the iPad might be more than such a product would require .
Given the late revelation of the touchscreen interface within tvOS , it seems most likely that Apple ’s determined - top box OS would allow the foundation for this intersection . That get a lot of signified since a HomePod is generally a equipment that one interact with from foot forth , rather than inch . You want text and interface elements that are observable at a distance instead of those designed to be used at branch ’s distance .
tvOS will likely be at the heart of a HomePOd with a screen .
Apple
That say , there are still probable to be some typeface in which you will want to directly control said equipment . Will it be as simple as add a touch stratum to a tvOS interface ? Probably not , though it certainly feels like a satisfying position to start . In the end , it would probably terminate up as a new political platform itself … which likely explains the long - running reports of an Apple project calledhomeOS .
Intelligence report
The real inquiry : Does feature a screen ultimately take some of the pressure off a HomePod from supporting the latest and greatest Siri ? No , and the proficient news is that report also suggest that this machine would be powered by an A18 chip , the same expected to be featured in this year ’s iPhone . give that , it ’s not out of the motion that it would have the needful amount of RAM too .
With a screen , top - of - the - line C.P.U. , and more memory , this product would likely be at the gamy terminal of the HomePod product line : if I had to hazard , around $ 599 . ( Not only is that closer to the price of an iPad and full - sizing HomePod combined , but it fits a formula my fellow worker Jason Snell came up with : figure out what would feel a little high , but you ’d pay it – then add $ 50 or $ 100 . ) Not flashy , certainly , but hardly Vision Pro territory – such a gadget would be middling positioned as a premium companion to the existing stock HomePod and the affordable HomePod miniskirt , with plenty more lineament . Call it the HomePod Pro , I think .
When such a twist might be announced , much less unblock , is evidently still anybody ’s guess , but with the updated Siri experience probably arriving next class , there is a certain point of sentience to launching a Siri - concentre premium twist hand - in - hand – or in fair proximity – to the vocalism assistant ’s biggest revamp ever . It ’s certainly a sure-footed stakes in this better chopine , and who does n’t want to see Apple put its money where Siri ’s sassing is ?
