If we look back to try to decipher Apple’s strategy around its range of speakers HomePodwe see that it has been quite scattered with the original model already discontinued last year, and the home pod mini competing with the amazon echo and the Google Nest Audio.
According to various reports, Apple hasn’t completely given up on its vision of what the smart home should be, and here it seems that 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 that the new device could combine HomePod, AppleTV and camera face time into a single product, all combined to become the center of what Apple intends the smart home to be.
We have heard this rumor before. In April of 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 over a connected TV.
All of this mixed with certain smart home features wouldn’t result in a new HomePod that would become the hub or smart home action center.
Gurman doesn’t offer an estimate on the possible timeframe for its launch, nor does he offer details of what the device might look like, but it’s not hard to imagine what Apple might have in mind. And the truth, it could resemble a product that Apple already markets.
A Home Studio with a mini screen
The HomePod may not be the kind of product that comes to mind when you look at the new StudioDisplay from Apple, but it’s not that different from the device Gurman describes.
It has spatial audio through a high-fidelity six-speaker system, Siri support through its built-in three-microphone array, and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with Center Frame support. That sounds like a HomePod with a screen, right?
Of course, StudioDisplay 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 S5 chip from the Apple Watch Series 5.)
Based on this, it’s not strange to think that it could function as a cheaper prototype device that does similar things, minus the 5K Display and possible Mac compatibility.
To all effects, StudioDisplay features the features of being a wireless stand-alone 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 things.
Think about it: Apple could shrink the design of the Studio Display to 12 or maybe 15 inches, bump the resolution up to 1440p, load a custom version of HomePod OS onto it, and maybe mount it on a HomePod mini-style stand to keep the product line.
The concept wouldn’t have to change that much, Apple would just have to turn on the bits of Studio Display that aren’t working right now and miniaturize all of that. It wouldn’t be cheap, but we already know that a HomePod with a display is likely to cost between $599 and $699.
Who wouldn’t want a small Studio Display running on their nightstand? Many fans of the brand would surely end up acquiring this new product concept.
Original article published in Macworld US.
