Following the surprise launch of the 2nd-gen HomePod in January with a similar design to the original model, a new rumor predicts that Apple’s next smart speaker will be a bit more exciting. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to launch its first HomePod with a screen in the first half of next year.
Briefly discussing Apple’s smart-home plans on Medium, Kuo writes that the company “will unveil a redesigned HomePod featuring a 7-inch panel in 1H24,” and that this device “could enable tighter integration with Apple’s other hardware products.”
The lack of visual information about the track, artist, album, and so on has been a long-running complaint about the HomePod, particularly when playing music via voice controls rather than an iPhone. A screen would also enable the HomePod to be far better at delivering “smart” features since the current model often has to direct the user to search results on a paired device. It’s a logical move for the product, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen.
Still, while Kuo isn’t always right, he has a decent track record, including a series of accurate predictions about the third-gen iPhone SE made the year before it launched. It’s worth stressing that his work focuses on supply-chain manufacturers rather than consumers: his latest report is more interested in the company that will supply the display panels for the new HomePod than in the customers who will buy it. But his predictions are widely read and respected and are right more often than not.
And the idea that Apple is working on a HomePod with a screen isn’t a new or outlier opinion. Mark Gurman predicted a HomePod with a display back in 2021, and it was a surprise to some when this year’s second-gen HomePod closely followed the design of its predecessor rather than incorporating a full screen. Indeed, the idea is brought up so frequently that Macworld has an article about the HomePod with screen where you can follow the rumors as they arrive.