Good news today for HomePod fans – Apple is reportedly preparing a larger high-end HomePod. The company is also working on an updated HomePod mini and several other smart home devices.
In his weekly To light up newsletter, this news is courtesy of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He was asked if Apple was still working on new home devices, and the answer was: “[Apple has] at least four new smart home devices in its labs, but not all of them will see the light of day. »
One is a bigger, more powerful HomePod that should be closer to the original. Gurman says this will use the S8 chip, which is coming to the Apple Watch Series 8.
The second is an updated HomePod mini. Maybe this will use the same chip? It could also come with Bluetooth 5.2 and possibly the new Bluetooth LE Audio enhancements.
Then two more devices might not come out of the test labs. The first is an appliance for the kitchen. It combines an iPad and a speaker and sounds like a Google Nest Hub or Amazon Show competitor.
The latest device combines an Apple TV, camera and HomePod. It would be a media hub, with the camera geared towards use as a video call device. The camera would also be perfect to use with Apple Fitness+ to gauge your workout form.
If everything Gurman mentions is released, we should expect two new HomePods from Apple later in 2022 or early 2023.
He thinks only one of the other smart devices will be released, either in late 2023 or early 2024. My money’s on the hybrid Apple TV, because Apple wants to keep pushing its way into health and fitness.
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