Apple is still said to be mulling the launch of a HomePod with a screen, but it won’t appear until next year at the earliest.
That’s the claim being made by Bloomberg journalist and reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman, who writes in his newsletter that “A HomePod with an iPad-like display is in the works”.
We’ve heard this rumour repeatedly before of course, but Gurman has supplied an update on when he feels we might see something concrete. He still doesn’t think that such a product is imminent, but claims that Apple is continuing to “pursue this idea and has begun early work on it with overseas suppliers” to make the product a reality.
As such, you shouldn’t expect to see an Apple home speaker/smart display hybrid until 2025 at the earliest.
Apple has reportedly been working on a number of these hybrid devices over the years, including one that would combine Apple TV, FaceTime and a HomePod in the one system. There was also apparently a HomePod that featured a screen that swivelled like a robotic arm, as well as iPad-like smart displays that magnetically attached to a wall.
Through all this, it’s the basic ‘Apple HomePod with a screen’ that has been cropping up repeatedly, including (as discovered by 9to5Mac) making a showing in recent beta versions of iOS.
Apple’s most recent HomePod product is the Apple HomePod 2, which launched last year. Its basic speaker design is barely changed from the first generation HomePod launched in 2018, so the product line is definitely due some innovation.
