Apple to Unveil Touchscreen HomePod with Enhanced Features, Launching Early 2024

Apple is rumored to be working on a new full-size HomePod with a touchscreen display for the first time. The device is expected to launch in the first part of this year, so here's what we know so far.

Apple's Touchscreen HomePod is Coming This Year

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman was the first to indicate in 2021 that Apple is developing new HomePods with displays and cameras. The HomePod's OS is now built atop tvOS, and it looks like the basis for a HomePod with a screen has been gradually laid in the background for some time, as per MacRumors.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo provided the first concrete information about Apple's intention to sell a new HomePod model with a display in March 2023. He stated that the smartphone will have a 7-inch display supplied by China's Tianma.

In October 2023, Apple leaker and prototype collector "Kosutami" revealed details regarding a forthcoming HomePod model with an LCD display. The device is expected to have a similar form to the second-generation ‌HomePod‌, but with a larger LCD touch screen at the top instead of the LED array used in previous iterations.

Other sources confirmed this information, adding that the model is currently in active development under the codename "B720". Code in tvOS 17 appears to indicate that Apple Music and Apple Podcasts will be among the first apps redesigned to be compatible with the new display, which will display a blurred animation based on the colors of the album art when a song or podcast is playing. The screen could also display critical notifications.

In December, Kosutami revealed additional photographs of the prototype device, which had a curved, convex LCD panel at the top.

There is also the possibility of a new chip. The 2023 HomePod features the S7 chip, which is also utilized in the 2021 Apple Watch Series 7. Despite the release of the S8 chip in late 2022 in the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, and second-generation Apple Watch SE, Apple chose to employ the S7 chip.

Apple's S9 Chip Enhancements Promise Revamped Apple Watch and HomePod Capabilities

Apple's most recent Apple Watch models include the S9 chip, which is substantially more powerful than all of its predecessors due to its A15 Bionic architecture. Many Siri requests are processed locally so that a faster processor could increase responsiveness. The S9 could potentially allow for health and fitness-related inquiries, albeit the specific chip used by the gadget is unknown.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the display of the next-generation HomePod could enable tighter connectivity with Apple's other hardware devices. For example, a redesigned HomePod might bring a lower-latency Handoff experience with the second-generation Ultra Wideband processor utilized in the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro.

It may also highlight better audio hardware and microphones, as well as standard enhancements such as Wi-Fi 6E capability.

According to Kuo's March 2023 estimate, the updated ‌HomePod‌ will be available in early 2024. There are no concrete rumors of any other new full-sized HomePods at this moment. Meanwhile, Kuo stated that Apple will start commercial shipments of the second-generation HomePod mini in the second half of 2024.

The touchscreen ‌HomePod‌ may be a direct replacement for the second-generation ‌HomePod‌ or a new, high-end option in the lineup. We may soon know for sure.

Photo: Victor Carvalho/Unsplash