New HomePod to Reportedly Feature 6-7 Inch OLED Display

[klasma]

Well, upgraded connectivity for one, I would like for it to at least have the latest or upgraded WiFi / Bluetooth / UWB versions.

I don't see what benefit that would bring. The HomePod is neither high-bandwidth nor does it need to save battery.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

There has been so much confusion around this product that I think the actual explanation is going to end up being so simple.

Mark Gurman has said the smart home display will have a rechargeable battery, and several different mounts and stands you can connect it to,including one with additional speakers.
That will be the new HomePod. It will just be a base for this new screen to be attached to, probably magnetically.
Other accessories that have been mentioned that will also probably work magnetically are wall mounts and desk stands.

It’ll be just like the pixel tablet and it’s speaker docking station.

What it certainly won’t be is the HomePod as it looks now, just with a 7 inch display that faces the ceiling.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

6.7 inch screen? Isn’t that the size of the iPhone Pro Max?

I’m guessing it will use the same screen as the Pro Max, not this capsule one.

Gurman has said that it will be a square display with thick bezels, which is certainly not the iPhone Pro Max.

 

[sockdoggy]

Zero interest in this for me. I do realise I will likely be in a minority on this forum, but I find my Apple Watch, iPhone and MacBook Air do all I want and generally do it very well. I tried living with an iPad as well for a while, but soon got rid of it. I don't want more devices to keep charged, updated and upgraded every few years. And I definitely don't want a "Smart Home." This may be a generational thing.

Agreed that we don’t need yet another screen!

 

[Jay Tee]

Perfect for the shower room.
Just needs a good power source.

 

[CarAnalogy]

God, I pray it looks like this.

Can't tell if serious.

Personally none of the renders I've seen look like something I would want to buy.

Maybe the big display one, but I already have a TV connected to an Apple TV and HomePods.

 

[IronTek]

If Apple would just allow multi-users on their iPad, I wouldn't need this thing at all.

That having been said, I'll be buying one as soon as it's released, because I think Hell will freeze over before they allow multiple accounts on one iPad (excluding corporate and education customers).

 

[MNWildFan]

Please add FM-radio and the possibility to use it without cabel.

Sorry, but I don't see them adding FM to this

Case in point, pretty much every radio station out there now has an Internet stream of it via services like iHeartRadio, TuneIn, or Audacy (and you don't actually need the apps themselves to stream)

 

[totallywoke]

6-7” is tiny. Forget OLED & offer bigger screen.

But still tryn to understand compelling use cases.

Apple needs to beef it up Smart Home offerings - that can compete with Amazon’s Ring & Blink. Since they don’t integrate with HomeKit.

 

[Jason2000]

This is one confusing rumor.

 

[Blue Nova]

God, I pray it looks like this.

What happened to the original globe shape? The idea is to have sound coming from all directions now with that screen in the way you have to turn your speaker a certain way to hear music come out.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

So, it basically includes a free iPad mini?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Free iPad mini, locked to one location (unless you want to carry the whole thing around).

But probably gimped iPad, so that it is NOT actually a full alternative with a very fat speaker.

...which, of course, leads to the concept of taking a retired iPad laying in a drawer and putting it wherever one wants this thing... attached to ANY quality of speaker if we want quality sound in "there" too. Wall mounts and stands for iPads can be had for < $20-$30...

...and "dumb" speakers can last towards 20-30 years vs. the ticking "vintaged" clock built into any of these "smart" speakers. Yes, they are quite $mart. 💰💰💰

 

[kagharaht]

These devices are moot without a huge Siri improvement.

Exactly. They sound great for such a small device. The Software is pure garbage. After 3 request or more it will eventually do what its suppose to do.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Where is the camera supposed to be in that render?

Not against a HomePod with a screen, but not sure on a camera.

I think most people would be against a HomePod with a camera unless it has a physical lens cover that people can be assured with a glance that there is no way the camera is being operated when they need privacy (all the time).

 

[cicalinarrot]

These devices are moot without a huge Siri improvement.

It's much better now, it doesn't say "I found this on the web" anymore.
It says "I found this on ChatGPT" instead.

 

[JoshuaBru]

Where is the camera supposed to be in that render?

Not against a HomePod with a screen, but not sure on a camera.

This product only makes sense if it has a camera for FaceTime calls imo. No ones going to surf the web, look at pics or use any other apps on this device when you have your iPhone or even iPad within reach. I see this product as a telecom hub. Stream music. Put on a timer. And make FaceTime calls while you cook. But again just my opinion.

 

[JimmyTheFirst]

How about a HomePod with a 6.1" display that you can put in your pocket and make telephone calls on?

 

[pplfn]

There has been so much confusion around this product that I think the actual explanation is going to end up being so simple.

Mark Gurman has said the smart home display will have a rechargeable battery, and several different mounts and stands you can connect it to,including one with additional speakers.
That will be the new HomePod. It will just be a base for this new screen to be attached to, probably magnetically.
Other accessories that have been mentioned that will also probably work magnetically are wall mounts and desk stands.

It’ll be just like the pixel tablet and it’s speaker docking station.

What it certainly won’t be is the HomePod as it looks now, just with a 7 inch display that faces the ceiling.

If there is something new related to this, I would suspect some 3D display like what i found in google "360-degree Cylindrical Transparent Display" from Sony or a Volumetric Display.

But as you said, it's probably something really simple like a speaker docking station (+ LLM Siri).

 

[JungleNYC]

I like this! We've decided to hold off on any more HomePod purchases until the new AI versions drop… and this is cool

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

Siri, even with intelligence partially implemented is still woefully underprepared for smart home duties. I've had to fall completely back to using Google simply because it works with the majority of my audible requests. I don't ask it to do anything exotic. Just basic home stuff where apples fails completely. Also, the continued problem where HomeKit device devices fall off the HomeKit network when Google still has no problem seeing them. Is another big issue.

 

[ThailandToo]

The price tag will be interesting when it will be featuring an A18 and 8GB ram, I expect 350$.

Not if they want to compete. I think they need to come in at $249 max.

 

[scrapesleon]

Looks like a beats pill hopefully it will have the sounds like the original HomePod or better will be upgrading to it either way

 

[ThailandToo]

Haha. Much more Apple precious, magical RAM, latest chip and a “far superior” Apple screen for barely $50 more than the one without all that? Swap the 3 and the 5 at least. My guess is starting at $499-$649.

Problem is it will be a niche product that nobody buys. When other manufacturers make similar things and sell them at less than half the price, Apple needs to rely on ecosystem? That only works in the short term. In the long run, interoperability will win.

 

[John_san]

I am trying to get my 80yo mum to use FaceTime. I gifted her an old iPhone pro max 11 and an apple TV to do FaceTime on her TV and it’s proving to be still too difficult. So something easier to use like this device would be great for her.