HomePod with ‘iPad-like display’ unlikely to launch until 2025 at the earliest
Apple’s rumored new smart home device, touted as a HomePod with an ‘iPad-like display,’ is unlikely to launch until 2025 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who says that Apple has started “early work” on a HomePod with a screen with overseas suppliers.
Speaking in his weekly Power On newsletter on Sunday, Gurman says that whilst work is underway on the device, there is still a long way to go before the product is at a stage where a launch is imminent.
The Apple Post shared last week how our friend Filipe at 9to5Mac reported that a new device identified as “Z314” powered by an A15 Bionic chip — the same chip found in the iPad mini 6. The references were found in the latest tvOS 17.4 beta code, the operating system that powers the HomePod.
To add fuel to the fire, the report claimed that tvOS 17.4 beta 3 adds SwiftUI frameworks to the HomePod firmware.
The new smart home device, which would be used to control HomeKit devices, make FaceTime calls, and more would be Apple’s take on the Meta Portal, combining the existing HomePod speaker with a low-end iPad, that will feature a special UI for users to access the Home app, FaceTime, and other apps for the smart home device.