Rumours of an Apple HomePod with a screen have been making the rounds for quite a while now, to the point we were expecting it to be the next-gen smart speaker from Apple. But if you’ve been eagerly awaiting its release, we have some bad news.
According to the reliable Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman (whose Apple news track record is up there with the very best), the mysterious smart home hub has been postponed, while Apple works on improving Siri’s capabilities.
The smart device was rumoured to have a built-in display akin to that of Amazon Echo Show 10 or Google Nest Hub, which would allow you to use the HomePod as a control centre for your smart home needs, with built-in speakers for playing music. It would be a bit of a departure from the five-star HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini speakers we've tested so far, which were geared primarily for playing music (with Siri integrated).
If the delay rumours are true, the move is unsurprising. Apple has historically held products and features back until its engineers deemed them polished enough to be released to the masses (for the most part, at least), so improving Siri to ensure that a final launch goes smoothly, makes sense in our eyes. The HomePod has never been quite on as strict a release schedule as iPhones and AirPods, either, so it might just not be a product Apple deems is necessary until it hits the right spot.
It’s unclear whether this delay is temporary or indefinite, but given the push for AI (Apple Intelligence) and Apple’s investment (not to mention the growing need for Siri to be on par with the more capable Alexa voice control), we wouldn’t completely rule out a screen-toting HomePod smart home hub at some point in the future. And don’t forget, there’s always the possibility of a HomePod Mini 2 release to keep you going in the meantime.
That’s just our educated guess, of course. We can’t possibly know the ins and outs of all the goings-on within the secretive rooms of 1 Infinite Loop. In the meantime, we’ll keep an ear out for more news and rumours, as and when they come in. Stay tuned.
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