Alexa, are you ready for Apple to be back in the smart speaker game? Word on the street is that the notoriously tight-lipped tech giant is planning to release an updated version of its Amazon Echo and Google Home rival, the HomePod.
Apple released the HomePod in 2018 and HomePod Mini in 2020, but discontinued the full-sized in 2021 to only focus on the smaller, more affordable version.
Over the weekend, tech insider Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter for US publication Bloomberg that he believes Apple will soon bring out an upgrade to the HomePod. Gurman believes the updated version will feature an updated S8 processor and possibly a new multi-touch display on top, and will be released in early 2023. He added that the updates weren’t likely to be “super-impressive”.
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Gurman has previously mentioned an update to the HomePod. As has Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Back in May, Kuo tweeted that Apple would be releasing a new HomePod in late 2022 or the start of 2023 — though, he wasn’t sure of its size.
Apple would release a new version of HomePod in 4Q22-1Q23, and there may not be much innovation in hardware design. Smart speakers are undoubtedly one of the essential elements of the home ecosystem, but I think Apple is still figuring out how to succeed in this market.
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 20, 2022
Also in Gurman’s newsletter, he said Apple is also working on an updated HomePod mini. Apple has “at least four new smart home devices in its labs, but not all will see the light of the day”, he added.
He named two home devices, in particular — a kitchen device that combines an iPad and a speaker and living room device combining an Apple TV, camera and HomePod — that might launch at the end of next year or in early 2024.
In other Apple news, the latest software update iOS 16 is now available for Beta testing, and the final version should be released in the coming weeks.
“We have re-imagined how the Lock Screen looks and works with exciting new features that make it more personal and helpful, introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library for families, streamlined communication through new capabilities in Messages and Mail, and harnessed enhanced intelligence with updates to Live Text and Visual Look Up,” Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi said at a conference at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California on June 7.
The new software will let you mark read texts as unread, unsend and edit messages, better customize your lock screen and use live text in video.
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