If we look back to try to decipher Apple’s strategy around its range of speakers HomePodwe see that it has been quite dispersed with the original model already discontinued last year, and the HomePod mini in competition with the Amazon Echo and the Google Nest Audio.
According to various reports, Apple hasn’t entirely abandoned its vision of what the smart home should be, and here it seems the HomePod still has a lot to say. In fact, according to Mark Gurman of BloombergApple continues to work on its evolution.
In fact, Gurman claims the new device could combine HomePod, AppleTV and camera FaceTime in one product, all combined to become the center of what Apple wants the smart home to be.
We’ve heard this rumor before. In April last year, Gurman reported that Apple was working on a product that combines an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker alongside a camera for video conferencing on a connected TV.
All of this mixed in with some smart home features wouldn’t result in a new HomePod that would become the center or a smart home action hub.
Gurman doesn’t offer an estimate of a possible time frame for its launch, or any details on what the device might look like, but it’s not hard to imagine what Apple might have in mind. And the truth, it could look like a product that Apple is already marketing.
A Home Studio with a mini screen
The HomePod might not be the kind of product that comes to mind when looking at the new
It features spatial sound through a six-speaker high-fidelity system, Siri support through its built-in three-microphone array, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera with frame support. central. It looks like a HomePod with a screen, right?
Sure, Studio display It’s not a standalone device, but it has the guts of an iPad, packing an A13 Bionic processor and 64GB of storage inside. (For reference, the original HomePod had an A8 and the HomePod mini has an Apple Watch Series 5 S5 chip.)
Based on that, it’s not strange to think it might work as a cheaper prototype device that does similar things, minus the 5K display and possible Mac compatibility.
To all effects, Studio display features the characteristics of being a wireless standalone display that runs Apple TV, makes FaceTime calls, and interacts with Siri. The only thing is that you need a Mac to be able to do stuff.
Think about it: Apple could scale down the Studio Display design to 12 or maybe 15 inches, bump the resolution up to 1440p, load a custom version of the HomePod OS on it, and maybe mount it on a mini HomePod style holder to keep the product range.
The concept wouldn’t have to change all that much, Apple would just have to activate the Studio Display elements that currently don’t work and miniaturize it all. It wouldn’t be cheap, but we already know that a HomePod with a display will likely cost between $599 and $699.
Who wouldn’t want a small Studio Display on their bedside table? Many fans of the brand would surely end up acquiring this new product concept.
Original article published in igamesnews US.