Apple has been rumored to be working on a HomePod that has a screen. Basically a competitor to the Echo Show. The mock ups for it look pretty good. But apparently, it has been delayed. Due to a series of cost-cutting measures and belt-tightening efforts at Apple.
Bloomberg says that the delaying of this project will allow Apple to allocate its R&D budget to more pressing projects. Which includes its mixed reality headset, which many believe will launch at WWDC in June.
This is being done to contain costs and enable the company to maintain stability. Even in an unstable economy, as tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta are all laying off employees. While Apple has yet to do so.
Apple’s Echo Show
The HomePod with a display from Apple looks pretty nice actually, in the mock ups. And rumors point to it having a 7-inch display, that would arrive in the first half of 2024 at the earliest.
Basically, it looks like the HomePod Mini, but in a pill shape, with a screen angled on the front. There’s likely a camera hidden somewhere, as Apple would be fools to not make Facetime available on this product.
Of course, this would work with HomeKit. So you’d be able to control your smart home products from this display, a lot like the Echo Show from Amazon and the Nest Hub from Google. Currently, the HomePod doesn’t do a whole lot, other than sounding good and playing Apple Music. So hopefully with the HomePod with a screen, it’ll add more functionality.
It’s likely that Apple would also launch a few different sizes of this device, which Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first mentioned back in 2021. Though a 7-inch model would likely come out first, as it would be cheaper, and easier to put into your home on a table in the living room or your bedroom.
2023-03-20 15:05:21