Apple could launch its first smart display as soon as next year. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple is preparing a HomePod with a 7-inch display for H1 2024.
Launching a smart display under the HomePod branding is seemingly a part of Apple’s new smart home strategy.
Apple’s next HomePod might be a smart display
In a Medium post, Kuo claims the 7-inch display on the HomePod will allow for deeper integration with other Apple products. He further adds that the company will source the display panels from Tianma. This will greatly benefit the company’s bottom line and could help it eventually win orders for iPad panels.
A display will open the door for many more possibilities, including using the HomePod as a smart home controller.
There have been reports about Apple working on an iPad-like smart home display for 2024. It is seemingly also developing a smart home cradle for iPads, similar to a docking station that Google is working on for its upcoming Pixel Tablet.
Siri is holding back HomePod
Unlike Google and Amazon, Apple is yet to launch a Siri-powered smart display. The company has only dabbled with smart speakers so far and met with limited success with them. This is primarily due to Siri’s lack of smartness compared to Google Assistant and Alexa.
Apple only managed to make inroads into the smart speaker market following the launch of the HomePod mini in October 2020. It followed this up with the release of the full-sized HomePod 2 in January 2023. Both speakers are known for their sound quality rather than their smart home prowess. However, they do feature a temperature and humidity sensor that allows for home automation.
It is unclear if Apple’s HomePod-cum-smart display will feature a built-in camera or not. The company is reportedly working on a smart home device that combines Apple TV, HomePod, and FaceTime camera capabilities. The 7-inch HomePod could be the same device, though this is something that only time will tell.
