Apple may be shipping a revamped HomePod, complete with a 7-inch screen, come the first half of 2024.
According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has been reportedly working on HomePods with screens before, perhaps bringing together the smart speaker with Apple TV+. Kuo doesn’t detail what the screen could be used for, but he does now put a date on its launch.
Kuo also stated that Tianma, which generally makes screens for Android devices, will create the 7-inch display panel:
“I predict that Apple will unveil a redesigned HomePod featuring a 7-inch panel in 1H24, with Tianma as the exclusive panel supplier,” he says. “The HomePod, which equips a panel, could enable tighter integration with Apple’s other hardware products, marking a significant shift in the company’s smart home strategy.”
Kuo stated that the backing for the prediction appears to have surfaced from information that Apple “is set to debut in Apple’s supply chain, becoming a new beneficiary of Apple’s revamped smart home strategy.”
Kuo also stated that “Tianma’s next orders from Apple may be iPad panels if the shipment goes well,” he surmises.
In 2022, Kuo did correctly predict that Apple would release a new HomePod model in late 2022 or, as it turned out, early 2023.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Medium