Unreleased HomePod With LCD Display Allegedly Shown in Images [Update]

[MacRumors]

Update:Kosutami has since revealed that the LcdUTest app shown on the HomePod's display has been superimposed and doesn't exist in the original picture, but the LCD display panel shown on the HomePod is real.



Apple is rumored to be developing a new HomePod with a screen, and new images shared online allegedly give us a first glimpse of the new smart speaker.

The above image appears to show a HomePod similar in size to the second-generation HomePod that was launched earlier this year, but with what appears to be a functioning LCD display on the top.

The image was shared by device collector and leaker known as "Kosutami," who has previously shared accurate pre-release information about Apple's FineWoven accessories, various prototypes such as the MagSafe chargers and AirPods in different color options, and more.

Earlier in the day, Kosutami also shared images of component parts allegedly belonging to a prototype HomePod that features a large touch screen sensor at the top, with a much larger area than the current HomePod panel.

Separately, 9to5Mac claims to have verified the legitimacy of these images with its own sources, and says that the prototype, codenamed B720, is a new product being actively worked on by Apple, rather than something that the company has experimented with in the past.

According to 9to5Mac, the LcdUTest app shown on the assembled HomePod's display panel is an internal app used by engineers to test the new display. The outlet says that code in tvOS 17 suggests that Apple Music and Apple Podcasts are the first apps being rewritten to be compatible with the new display, which will show a blurred animation based on the colors of the album art when a song or podcast is playing. The screen could also potentially show important notifications.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715670862773514358

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman was first to suggest in 2021 that Apple is working on new HomePods with displays and cameras. Earlier this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple plans to release a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display in the first half of 2024.

In the long term, Apple is believed to be rethinking its smart home strategy, and is working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device, as well as a HomePod with a screen mounted on a robotic arm, according to a Gurman.

Article Link: Unreleased HomePod With LCD Display Allegedly Shown in Images [Update]

 

[abatabia]

I’m definitely curious about this. Hopefully by then they also fix the endless endless HomePod and HomeKit bugs.

 

[DHagan4755]

Judging the photos, I'm not sure if this makes the HomePod all that much better. Maybe marginally better? The display looks washed out and not that bright. Granted this is a prototype but still...

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

Would be nice to be able to do some things on the screen on a HomePod, I think they’ve come far enough along, that that’s a useful feature to add. Doing it from iPhones/iPads is great, but the device having a little more autonomy would be great as well.

 

[tlab]

Er, how is this any different from the existing lcd display that shows the Siri visualisations?

 

[bozzykid]

Er, how is this any different from the existing lcd display that shows the Siri visualisations?

This one would let Apple charge more seems to be the biggest difference. I'm not sure who is sitting around looking at the top of a HomePod.

 

[scrapesleon]

I was expecting a major redesign of the HomePod with a larger screen and some extra speakers too but oh well we move

 

[midwesthawkeye]

I INHERITED 2 of the original Home Pods when an audiophile, good friend of mine passed away. I found them to be the most CLOSED piece of hardware I had ever seen. ONLY wanted to play music if it was 100% on the goddamn internet. NO ability to act like a bluetooth speaker. Power cable WELDED to the damn enclosure. It was like I had a SONY product in my hands. I sold them immediately on eBay.

Great hardware that is TIED to being used only in certain ways is garbage to me.

 

[Limpette]

I don't even see the point in the current HomePod display aside from as a very basic single play/pause/activate button and showing two colours for status. Who wants/needs more and why?

 

[jdphoto]

I was expecting a major redesign of the HomePod with a larger screen and some extra speakers too but oh well we move

Yeah...same feelings here. This looks fine as a next-gen homepod (to replace the current one). I would not call it anything other than a "HomePod" since the design is so much similar.

I had been imagining something with an iPad-sized screen in landscape with HD camera for Facetime and a display that can drop down to 1Hz and can thus be always on (Standby Mode). It could be used for FaceTime calls, the home app, automations, etc. Essentially a nicer version of a Nest Hub/Echo Show. Calls could use microphones/speakers from other homepods in the house as well.

 

[ZZ Bottom]

This one would let Apple charge more seems to be the biggest difference. I'm not sure who is setting around looking at the top of a HomePod.

I for one am looking forward to leaning forward to watch movies on that epic screen.

 

[Shirasaki]

Great hardware that is TIED to being used only in certain ways is garbage to me.

And yet companies are producing more of such hardware with aritficial limits after their designed lifespan, as if they were some sort of safety device that must be replaced every 5 year or so.

 

[CC77]

I would love to see the iPad/HomePod interact in more meaningful ways - thinking of the Pixel Tablet physical form factor combined with a beefed-up StandBy-esque UI. Positioning iPad + HomePod as a Smart Home hub/content display/speaker dock.

 

[zach-coleman]

This is cool but it looks completely useless and just another expensive part for an already extremely expensive and underperformant device. Seems like just a worse Apple Watch to me.

Edit: the header image is not real, on twitter they say it’s a mockup they made for april fools. entire post seems sketchy though, they don’t show any actual proof of it being a touch screen.

Kosutami (@Kosutami_Ito) on X

@iconredesign It actually is, however this one picture is fake, I’ve confirmed

x.com

 

[Spock]

I wish they would just make it better overall, I would love to replace all the Echo devices in my house with HomePods but it’s just not there yet.

 

[spcopsmac21]

I’m definitely curious about this. Hopefully by then they also fix the endless endless HomePod and HomeKit bugs.

So we’re getting a $750 HomePod. Eeeeegads no. Use an old iPad or iPhone set up to a WiFi audio system

 

[macfacts]

Yeah...same feelings here. This looks fine as a next-gen homepod (to replace the current one). I would not call it anything other than a "HomePod" since the design is so much similar.

I had been imagining something with an iPad-sized screen in landscape with HD camera for Facetime and a display that can drop down to 1Hz and can thus be always on (Standby Mode). It could be used for FaceTime calls, the home app, automations, etc. Essentially a nicer version of a Nest Hub/Echo Show. Calls could use microphones/speakers from other homepods in the house as well.

It isn't powered by battery, what is the point of 1 Hz display? You wasted a wish.

 

[dannyyankou]

I don't even see the point in the current HomePod display aside from as a very basic single play/pause/activate button and showing two colours for status. Who wants/needs more and why?

A good use for it would be widgets like weather, home controls, sports scores, news, etc. But that would only make sense if the display faced sideways. I'm confused by this.

 

[bcollett]

Power cable WELDED to the damn enclosure.

The power cable on the original HomePods were not welded. It was a plug, but it could only be removed with a great effort. Officially by Apple it was not removable. I don’t know why that is a significant issue though. Many speakers have non-removable power cables.

 

[svish]

Hopefully the next refresh will have a model with display also

 

[Born Again]

Funny I got downvoted for asking for a screen for the HomePod and yet here we are…

 

[prime17569]

If this becomes a real product, it would be great to have some kind of music visualizer on the LCD. Bring back the iTunes Visualizer!

 

[hobocamp456]

Wouldn’t it be amazing if they combined HomePod with AppleTV

 

[midwesthawkeye]

The power cable on the original HomePods were not welded. It was a plug, but it could only be removed with a great effort. Officially by Apple it was not removable. I don’t know why that is a significant issue though. Many speakers have non-removable power cables.

Hey Jony,

Have you ever wanted to put a speaker in a place where you needed to feed the power cable through a narrow passage? Maybe behind a heavy piece of furniture? IT'S TERRIBLY INCONVENTIENT to be designed into a corner. Need to feed this cable another way to suit your needs? Yeah...NO!

When I pay $300+ for a speaker, it needs to NOT get in my way.

BTW, the way that cable was MOUNTED into that speaker was WAY out of pocket. It was a clear signal that you were not going to unplug it. That was "paint me into a corner" design.

 

[HVDynamo]

I INHERITED 2 of the original Home Pods when an audiophile, good friend of mine passed away. I found them to be the most CLOSED piece of hardware I had ever seen. ONLY wanted to play music if it was 100% on the goddamn internet. NO ability to act like a bluetooth speaker. Power cable WELDED to the damn enclosure. It was like I had a SONY product in my hands. I sold them immediately on eBay.

Great hardware that is TIED to being used only in certain ways is garbage to me.

Yup, that and the lack of an aux in too. Just kills the excitement for it entirely for me.