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tvOS 17.4 Allegedly Hints at HomePod With Display

bobmans said:
A15 seems way too overkill for a homepod?
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Well, some rumors suggest that Apple is working on a “homeOS” to address their smart home strategy. Meanwhile they’re slowly transforming AppleTV into something quite different than what it used to be (no focus on purchasing and deemphasizing personal libraries in favor of subscriptions.) It seems plausible to me that the plan is to make the HomePod the only available HomeKit hub, meaning it would need more processing power than what’s required for music and Siri.
 
I wonder if it'll just be like the Echo Show 10 which is a tablet attached to a speaker basically.

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Student of Life said:
it will probably be cheaper and more effective to get the iPad 9th gen and use it as a picture frame. So it's a picture frame and an actual functional tablet.
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The best available art frame is this one:

Sites-netgear-us-Site

NETGEAR
store.netgear.com store.netgear.com

Apple could easily fit a product like this into their lineup and make it way better. Seamless integration with iPhoto would make it pretty compelling to me. Then combining that with a decent speaker system? Seems like it could work.
 
Maybe this Spring we will see a unified "HomeOS" lineup with everything in the family using the same chip architecture:

Apple TV- A15
Homepod with Screen -A15
Big Homepod S9
Homepod mini S9

That would be a solid lineup hardware-wise and set them up with a single platform so they can focus on software improvements in the coming years.

A guy can dream.....
 
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abatabia said:
I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve bought my last HomePod. Yes it’s software related, but I’ve had so so many issues with my fleet of HomePods it’s ruined the experience for me. Connection issues, sound issues, you name it I’ve been on with Apple support about it. I’ve had enough.
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Weird. I've had HomePods since day one and never a single connection issue or sound issue. Only issues I've encountered are Siri-related or when my stereo pair was doing weird L/R balance things at first when the eARC Apple TV update came out, but that's been long since fixed, and it wasn't even a feature I knew would ever be coming to the product.
 
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if only they would address the terrible software that seems to continue to make things worse with the devices. Nothing like when one of the two homepods decides to stop playing while watching tv/a movie.
 
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Finally Apple is willing to take on Alexa & Google devices like the horrible Echos. But way too late. Would still like to see it happen though.
 
Maybe it’s just me but where would this genuinely sit in the Home line up of accessories?

I guess some people would use their iPad perhaps for similar functionality and maybe use a HomePod or other smart speaker/stand/case and then there may also be users who use a stand for iPhone with StandBy enabled?
 
Like many, I don't really see the utility of a screen in a HomePod. However, I have a good stereo system, and a high end soundbar on our TV, so I only use our HomePod Mini as a HomeKit hub. And for that, it works flawlessly.
 
iGeek2019 said:
Maybe it’s just me but where would this genuinely sit in the Home line up of accessories?

I guess some people would use their iPad perhaps for similar functionality and maybe use a HomePod or other smart speaker/stand/case and then there may also be users who use a stand for iPhone with StandBy enabled?
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Agreed. Apple should just modify an iPad to become more like an Alexa. A screen for even basic functionality with smart devices. Use iPadOS.
And support tons of devices, or get the manufacturers to let them support the devices. Just get it done.

Alexa is horrible. Terrible. But it has millions upon millions of users and owns the space hands down. I would go for just about any alternative at this point.

This is and should be a major play for Apple to do and should have been doing for years now. They're so behind it isn't even funny.
 
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stocklen said:
I was about to make a similar point.

Although I will be sticking with HomePods.... there is something seriously wrong with the software which remains unresolved to this day.

I feel that perhaps I have too many! Someone once mentioned there was a 6 unit limit (unofficially but acknowledged by Apple apparently) and any more than that in a single home and things become very unstable.

I have a single HomePod at my office, and it works flawlessly.

At home my 8 HomePod setup is incredbily frustrating. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesnt. Sometimes a stereo pair will not play out of both sides and sometimes it stutters. Multi room music is where things really fall apart with the experience being rather unpredictable.
I had a period of stability which was good but in the last 2 weeks trying to play some music around the house at once is like pulling teeth.


Anyway back on topic here - not sure how a HomePod with a screen is going to add much to the equation but I would urge Apple to do something about the software before they start introducing more models. At the very least if there is some mystical limit to the number recommended in a home then be honest about it and dont just let people add more and more in the incorrect assumption that 'it just works'
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I have had the same issues. Started when i added a second one and placed it in a different room. Works, then not. One comes on, but not the other. Next day, they both work again. Sometimes, one of them goes offline. Sometimes both are grouped in the devices list, sometimes not. If at least i could run them independently of Home which i suspect to be the cause of these issues.
 
MacRumors said:


The tvOS 17.4 beta that was released today contains code that references a future HomePod with a display, according to 9to5Mac. The site claims that there is evidence of a device with a "Z314" identifier with an A15 chip inside, with both production and "internal" versions of the device being tested by Apple.

homepod-blue-green.jpg


The latest beta also reportedly adds SwiftUI frameworks to the HomePod firmware to support a HomePod with a display.

We've heard multiple rumors about a HomePod with a touchscreen display from reliable sources. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March 2023 that there was a HomePod with a 7-inch display in development, and in October 2023, leaker Kosutami said the next-generation HomePod would have a design similar to the current model but with a large LCD touch screen at the top instead of an LED array.

HomePods to date have been equipped with the same chips that Apple uses in the Apple Watch rather than the A-series chips used in Apple devices, so 9to5Mac's finding of an A15 Bionic mention could reflect a shift. The S9 chip in the Apple Watch Series 9 is, however, based on the A15 Bionic, and so that would also make sense for a new HomePod.

In 2023, Kuo claimed that the HomePod with display would launch in the first half of 2024, but we have not heard additional release details since then. It is not yet clear when the device might come out, but Apple is planning to debut new iPads and Macs around the March timeframe, so we might also see a new HomePod at that time.

Article Link: tvOS 17.4 Allegedly Hints at HomePod With Display
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What’s next? Putting a display into the AirTag? 😊
 
What I really want is a homepod+Apple TV that can output audio through the HDMI port to my real sound systems vs the tiny little internal speaker. I can do it with Apple TV, but can't control that with siri commands (especially not from another homepod).
 
clayj said:
Because I'd like to get rid of my Amazon Echo Show devices and replace them with similar Apple devices. That means a smart speaker with a screen on it.
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Yeah but that doesn't seem like what this is rumored to be. Apple would rather sell you an iPad for that. We'll see what they come up with.
 
stocklen said:
I would urge Apple to do something about the software before they start introducing more models
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This applies to every product they sell right now. It seems like the car and Apple Vision Pro (TM) have been major distractions for them. The hardware team keeps ticking along (a lot of that is invented by other companies and integrated by Apple anyway) but the software and UX teams...
 
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Would’ve been more innovative if instead it projected its display onto the ceiling. I’m sure most people put their HomePods in places where they can’t even see the display at all
 
Does it come with Wifi 4 and less microphones and speakers to implement the screen?
 
i will buy it if the price is not that high. i consider to put one in the kitchen, watch news on YouTube while having breakfast.
 
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