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Gurman: Combined HomePod/Apple TV Device Remains in Early Development

rgwebb said:
I had 2 HomePods and an Apple TV 4K in my entertainment center and the home theater functionality was a substantial upgrade from the decade or more old soundbar+woofer connected to the television over HDMI ARC. I got the new Apple TV 4K and was pleasantly surprised by the ARC/eARC feature added to the home theater functionality. Now I get better audio on all the other inputs too.

I have little doubt that if Apple made a purpose built entertainment center homepod that it would compete favorably with the comparable Sonos offerings but have the advantage of ecosystem fit for those already knee-deep into Apple products.

I've said this elsewhere: the problem with the original homepod was not that it was a bad product but that it was a bad product for the home assistant market they were targeting. The homepod is actually a very compelling product for the home entertainment center.
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Making a living room entertainment centric HomePod sound bar (HomePod Pro) and giving it a HDMI port and Apple TV functionality is a no-brainier. 1. The obvious missing link is a compelling gaming proposition to compete with AAA console games. 2. It should also be able to function as a HomePod with the TV in standby mode where users can ask it questions and play music without powering the TV on, and should they want the TV to come on they should be able to ask Siri without the remote, ask Siri using the remote or press the power button on the remote. It should be bundled with the new Siri remote and should function with the remote and from across the room without the remote. First-party gaming controller and better games should be offered and it should have an M1 processor to compete with consoles.

But I’d go further. Apple should simultaneously produce a television with all of these features built in.

1. Apple TV 4K ($179)
2. Apple TV Pro ($499)
3. Apple Television ($1,999)
 
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orbital~debris said:
Of the two products, this (👆🏻) is the one with a lot of potential for the lounge/living room. It makes sense to offer a product that:
  • Outputs clean, clear, amplified high quality audio
  • Brings the existing features of Apple TV (why not, and avoids the need to have a separate box)
  • Has a camera so allows FaceTime calls directly on your TV
  • Incorporates technologies of the new iPad Pro’s ‘Center Stage’ FaceTime camera, to include the capability to track people in a wide, whole room view
No more mirroring your iPhone, iPad or Mac to get the FaceTime on the larger TV display, or needing to worry about where that device’s camera & mic are positioned so the other side of the call can see and hear you.

Sounds perfect for hassle-free family-group to family-group FaceTime calls on your sofa.


(The other product - the ‘HomePod with screen but no Apple TV’ - should be great for kitchens and other spaces where you want to FaceTime while doing other things, and a large display isn’t as necessary).
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agree - I would appreciate just the ATV and the Facetime Functionality, as all my Speakers are in-Wall.
But a living room video call with grandma might be worth the money for the device.
 
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Apple TV w/ camera + Center Stage underneath a TV. No need for robotic arm (really, who wants to put that level of mechanical complexity in?)

Apple TV w/ camera underneath your TV becomes:
- updated primary "host" for Home
- able to take zoom/facetime/other calls
- stream broadcasts/movies/etc.
- music player
- use mini's for surround sound? maybe
- directly "attacks" the soundbar market
- differentiates from other streaming boxes
 
rgwebb said:
I've said this elsewhere: the problem with the original homepod was not that it was a bad product but that it was a bad product for the home assistant market they were targeting. The homepod is actually a very compelling product for the home entertainment center.
Click to expand...
I agree. The demise of the original HomePod was 100% a marketing misfire, a great product mis-sold.
 
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It makes sense for Apple to come out with a high-end premium smart speaker with display. There really isnt much competition in this space on the higher end because both Amazon and Google tend to focus more on budget friendly options.
 
Websnapx2 said:
All I want is a Soundbar AppleTV. All of the tech in a full-sized Homepod (room sensing, Atmos, Siri on demand) and all the abilities of an AppleTV (some storage for apps, HDR support, remote) in one device.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is one of the things they are working on. A HomePod soundbar with the AppleTV functionality built in so you only need a single box. With either a camera also built in or a separate camera module that works with it so that you can make FaceTime calls via your TV.

I seriously doubt they are working on anything like that is being portrayed as far as a HomePod speaker with a display built into it.

People already have their iPhones and iPads for doing FaceTime in their home and on the go. What they don't have is a way to do it via the Apple TV using the largest screen in their home.

The work on what Apple is doing with the Centerstage feature of the webcams on the iPad Pro and iMac is a hint of things to come with a camera for doing FaceTime on your TV and keeping the speaker in the frame. A soundbar is typically centrally located to the TV. So either building it into the soundbar, or having it be a module that attaches to the top of the tv and connects to the soundbar makes sense. Although my guess is they are going to try and do it all in one device rather than having a separate module.
 
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Apple might combine the ATV and HomePod, but adding a display and camera for FaceTime makes no sense. The ATV needs to be close to the TV so it can be plugged into it via an HDMI cable. Would someone want to get up and walk over to the TV to make a FaceTime call, especially if they can make one on their iPhone? Probably not.

I think many of these predictions are simply BS. If the person makes a hundred predictions and even one comes true, many people will give them credit for the one they got right and forget about the 99 they got wrong. It reminds me of Jean Dixon the self-proclaimed psychic and astrologer from several decades back who made thousands of predictions each year and very rarely did get one correct by shear luck. She had quite a large following and was routinely published in many prominent newspapers. Her followers would just ignore the 99.99% of the predictions she flubbed. Most of us though saw her for what she was, just a windbag arbitrarily making very generic predictions which she could later proclaim came true.
 
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So in other words they will remain couple of years behind in this space?
I still can't believe they didn't give the original HomePod a second chance with a v2 that fixed some of the shortcomings people had with it. I am sure they had most R&D costs sunk, and they just released the mini with no bigger model to be "mini" against. The strategy seems like no strategy.
 
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It looks like that design is taken.
IMG_6757.jpeg
 
It about time Apple realized we are not a one shoe fits all user. Our needs, original homepod for larger kitchen family room. Sonos Playbar for TV. Amazon Show5 for bedroom. Sonos Roam for Sunroom and deck. The listed above works well for us. Would be awesome if one system totally integrated into and by Apple.
 
orbital~debris said:
Of the two products, this (👆🏻) is the one with a lot of potential for the lounge/living room. It makes sense to offer a product that:
  • Outputs clean, clear, amplified high quality audio
  • Brings the existing features of Apple TV (why not, and avoids the need to have a separate box)
  • Has a camera so allows FaceTime calls directly on your TV
  • Incorporates technologies of the new iPad Pro’s ‘Center Stage’ FaceTime camera, to include the capability to track people in a wide, whole room view
No more mirroring your iPhone, iPad or Mac to get the FaceTime on the larger TV display, or needing to worry about where that device’s camera & mic are positioned so the other side of the call can see and hear you.

Sounds perfect for hassle-free family-group to family-group FaceTime calls on your sofa.


(The other product - the ‘HomePod with screen but no Apple TV’ - should be great for kitchens and other spaces where you want to FaceTime while doing other things, and a large display isn’t as necessary).
Click to expand...
But how? This is the right problem to solve. But how does this product become the solution? There are so many problems:

1. Currently the Apple TV is a box that you bury. It isn't a centerpiece. Just the addition of Center Stage FaceTime camera would completely change the design of the product, and the placement.
2. Very few people actually want Home Pod of any kind to be their home theater. No product like this is going to replace my 5.1 Sonos system.

The only way I could see this working is if the product itself IS a Soundbar...with the Apple TV innards built in, and a FaceTime camera and series of microphones.
 
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I'm never gonna buy one of these devices (Homepod, Echo, Google Home). Never. I will fight to keep them out of my house. This is probably the only hill I'm willing to die on.

Call me paranoid, but every time I see one of these things, I alway see...
iu


12022020a.jpg
 
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What do you mean a new high end HomePod is no longer happening? Can’t be true....there are several posters in the HomePod is discontinued thread that will argue with everyone that a brand new, super duper, high-end sound HomePod is just around the corner.
 
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Lemon Olive said:
But how?

The only way I could see this working is if the product itself IS a Soundbar...with the Apple TV innards built in, and a FaceTime camera and series of microphones.
Click to expand...

Sorry, yes, that’s exactly what I was picturing - but I forgot to add it to my post.

A device including all that I mentioned and taking the traditional place of a soundbar would work best - it has to connect to the TV (HomePod sound and Apple TV picture functions) so the HDMI connection necessitates placement close by, and has to be in front of the TV (for optimal speaker performance) so allows a clear view of the room for the Center Stage FaceTime camera.
 
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Aeronauts said:
They are so far behind the competition I’m not sure it’s worth their time developing such a product now.
Click to expand...
Seems Apple disagrees with you on two fronts:
1. They are no behind the competition and,
2. It's worth it to them to develop a new product with tech they have been working on
 
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