Apr 24, 2024
Apple is purportedly developing an improved version of its HomePod smart speaker with an LCD, and a picture of a component from the rumoured gadget has been leaked online.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), tipster @Kosutami_Ito posted an image of what looks to be the glass cover for the next-generation HomePod, which may include a touchscreen display surrounded by the speaker and capable of displaying crucial information including incoming alerts or media playback options.
Moreover, the illustration depicts a round component with a curved surface. It also hints that the touchscreen will be shiny. The tweet specifies that this is the B720 prototype, which was previously seen online.
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Previously, an unknown device known as Z314 was discovered on a test version of tvOS 17.4, which was later released to consumers in March.
Rumours suggest that the upcoming gadget would run tvOS and be powered by Apple's A15 Bionic CPU. The second-generation HomePod is powered by Apple's S7 processor.
In October last year, the same whistleblower (@Kosutami_Ito) shared photographs of a putative HomePod frame with a touchscreen display and black bezels.
However, at that moment, the user stated that the gadget would resemble Apple's second generation HomePod, which was released in February 2023, five years after the initial HomePod.
TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier projected that Apple will release a HomePod variant with a 7-inch touchscreen display in 2024.
In addition, Kuo stated at the time that Tianma would be the only supplier for the rumoured HomePod, which he believed would be available in H1 2024. The gadget would compete with the Amazon Echo Show and the Google Nest Hub.
