I hope these rumors are true - as this modular concept doesn't sound very "Apple" to me
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Supply Chain Forming for 2025 HomePod With LCD Display
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Haha, that is accurate! My brother's place was like that (Dad holding the place hostage), tons of smart home everything, but that changed when my sister-in-law got locked out of their house, while he was in Iraq, because of malfunctioning smart locks.
When my parents were visiting said brother and his wife last year, my dad tried to turn on the guest room light via Siri (the room only had smart bulbs) and the HomePod promptly turned on all the lights in the house, including the primary bedroom, waking my brother and sister-in-law up.
It's all a little too "connected" for me.
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Hmm…. In most houses, guests simply go to a light switch and turn it off; or they go to the thermostat and press a button, rotate a dial, or slide a lever.
How often do people have guests in their house when they are not there, any way?
For sure, if one's house is already in control of the tech bots and overlords, and guests are there unsupervised, it could help… 😀
Presupposing, that is, that they are, at least, a bit tech savvy!
A cheat sheet or manual left by the owners or a quick phone call to the home owners would suffice otherwise. (“It's 95 in here and the AC hasn't come on. What do I do?”)
The market is niche, for sure.
The only thing previously that held me back from buying a HomePod mini for my nightstand was being able to see the time to replace an alarm clock. Now that we have standby mode that's actually a much more elegant solution so now both my Apple Watch and Phone operate as my alarm clock. I'm not sure what problem the HomePod with screen solves anymore, but I'm still waiting to see what the new HomePod mini offers before buying.
I don't need a HomePod command centre with more versions of the same apps that are on my phone and iPad. That's actually less convenient as the HomePod is stationary whereas I can carry around my phone to control things from anywhere.
I don't need a HomePod command centre with more versions of the same apps that are on my phone and iPad. That's actually less convenient as the HomePod is stationary whereas I can carry around my phone to control things from anywhere.
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If they want this to be successful, they will give it the dynamic island 
I am asking guests to leave their "smart" phones off and in the coat closet. If they can't for whatever reason then don't come. Apple should concentrate on making airplay work (fix what 18.2 broke). Homekit is a joke, the iPhone "Home" application is a defect riddled piece of software that provides an incredible adrenaline rush at every software upgrade - just to see what will break. Control door locks? Homekit fails a significant portion of time with Hue Lights, which have been around forever.
Too much innovation (my ass) for the first iteration of a groundbreaking-lifechanging new device like this. The Pro version of the second iteration of the device, with different colors too, will have a (mostly) operative Siri (with the second of third update of the OS, you now, next spring) and Dynamic Island.If they want this to be successful, they will give it the dynamic island
Apple runs to get into every potential market and then, after a (short) while, they quickly lose all interest in it and abandon the groundbreaking-lifechanging product which never got to work properly.
This. I'm guessing this will only work with devices that are Homekit or Matter compatible, which at the moment rules out the majority of Nest and Ring devices, which must account for a decent chunk of installed smart home equipment.
If all smart devices could work with this, then I can perhaps see the utility as a sort of "master panel" to see the status of various items (thermostat temperature, doors locked, doorbell or security camera feeds, lights on etc), but until then I think this will sell very poorly - especially at the price Apple is likely to ask.
I never understood why Apple never pushed the home theater aspect with HomePods. You have an opportunity, almost entirely software based, to entice people to buy 2-4 HomePods minimum for a home and they don't do it. To make matters worse, they have a movie studio and Spatial Audio. Why wouldn't they have done this years ago, I would really love to understand their reasoning.
They need to make a soundbar with AppleTV and a FaceTime camera built in that also has all the features of HomePod whether the TV is on or off. And allow additional HomePod and HomePad Minis to be added to create surround sound. This would be a HUGE success.
Just do a sound bar with built-in Apple TV. That's all.
No need for a camera, configuration or additional home pods.
Really? I cannot be alone, as we have an OG Pod and a new one at home and a Mini at a lake cabin. The new one is in the kitchen and is the quick default for most music, playing local NPR station, timers for cooking, HomeKit commands, and occasional info requests. The OG unit has been moved to the dining room for music there when entertaining. [Personally, I find only modest truth in the Siri complaints and instead suggest operator error underlies most dissatisfaction. Indeed, the language skills on this forum support that notion.] Both units also sound good enough that I'm seldom inspired to power up the nearby stereo system for music unless I serious enough to spin some vinyl. Meanwhile, the Mini also surprises me with its sound in the cabin, and it also serves well as the hub there. In summary, my experience with HomePods has been excellent.
BUT we are talking about a MICROWAVE here. There’s no accessibility issues, the microwave control is above the button to open the microwave. So, if one can OPEN the microwave they too, can access the controls to OPERATE the microwave. Moreover, the controls are on FRONT of the microwave, NOT the top.
And you are stating there are “plenty of reasons”. May you state more than just one?
Time would be better spent making an AppleTV Atmos 3.2 soundbar (LCR channels and 2 up firing speakers for Atmos) with a camera built into it. Set it below the TV, use a couple of HomePods for optional surround channels and develop an wireless subwoofer.
We have a HomePod v1 in our kitchen and we use it a LOT. Mostly for music, but we often start timers for cooking, and occasionally ask about the weather.
Adding a screen doesn't solve anything for us. It might make it better at answering questions, and it could display weather or timer information. I could imagine using it to view recipes, though the screen seems small for that.
My concern about the screen is that it potentially limits the audio dynamics in front. Our Homepod sits in a passthrough so the 360 degree speaker design is important to us.
Not seeing a compelling use for it. But I've been wrong before.
Adding a screen doesn't solve anything for us. It might make it better at answering questions, and it could display weather or timer information. I could imagine using it to view recipes, though the screen seems small for that.
My concern about the screen is that it potentially limits the audio dynamics in front. Our Homepod sits in a passthrough so the 360 degree speaker design is important to us.
Not seeing a compelling use for it. But I've been wrong before.
I do think a TV soundbar form factor with true stereo, maybe the voice assistant, that gets along with mobile devices for music streaming as well would be nice. I don’t think a built-in ATV would necessarily be a draw for everyone, especially if it increases the price. If it had a built-in camera, that would disqualify it from consideration for me. I can Facetime just fine with iPhone or iPad as it is, whenever and wherever I want.
