Apple’s rumored HomePod with a 7-inch display seems to be set to reach in 2024

Round this time subsequent 12 months, you will have to decide whether or not or to not purchase a brand new kind of HomePod that comes with a show. In keeping with notable Apple analyst Ming-Chu Kuo, the tech big would possibly unveil the next-gen HomePod with a 7-inch panel throughout the first half of 2024. The show, which will likely be manufactured by Chinese language provider Tianma, “might allow tighter integration with Apple’s different {hardware} merchandise.” That signifies a “important shift within the firm’s sensible residence technique,” he stated. 

Kuo’s prediction echoes earlier stories by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that the corporate is creating a kitchen accent that mixes an iPad with a speaker. Simply this January, Gurman reiterated that Apple is engaged on a slate of sensible residence units in a bid to compete with Amazon’s and Google’s choices. One of many merchandise it is reportedly creating is a low-end iPad that may management numerous IoT units, comparable to thermostats and lights, and can be utilized for video chats. It stays to be seen whether or not that is additionally the show that will come built-in with the HomePod.

By launching a speaker with a sensible show, Apple will lastly be capable to supply a direct competitor to Google’s Nest Hub and Amazon’s Echo Present fashions. Apple is lagging behind its friends with regards to sensible residence units — its sensible speaker, for example, got here years later than the Echo. Bloomberg stated method again in 2017 that it is as a result of Apple’s executives had a tough time determining the place it will match into its product ecosystem. 

Since Apple is clearly nonetheless within the midst of catching up with its rivals within the house, customers can both select between the HomePod mini and the newer 2nd-gen HomePod that was launched in January for now. The brand new mannequin has a contact panel on the high, nevertheless it has restricted capabilities that embody adjusting the quantity, skipping tracks and summoning Siri.