'HomePad' May Make HomePod Obsolete, But It May Also Save It

Apple is getting serious about smart home products, and this spring's “HomePad” will be the first part of a major strategic offensive. But what does this new device mean for the future of the HomePod? Will it make it obsolete? Maybe, but it might just save it.

The Apple HomePod Intelligence Dilemma

The HomePod and HomePod mini are designed around two key features:

Audio playback
Interacting with Siri

Apple has always leaned heavily toward the former, more so than expected before the smart speaker’s debut. The original HomePod offered an immersive music experience, but as many reviewers noted, Siri couldn’t match competitors like Alexa in key ways.

Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded Siri's capabilities on HomePod, but now it faces the same dilemma as before. Current hardware, as far as we know, doesn't support Apple Intelligence and its updated Siri.

The new Siri is just arriving, but it's getting ChatGPT next month, and some powerful new capabilities are coming in the spring.

When all that happens and HomePod can't support it, the device will be back to where it started: good for music, but a mediocre Siri experience.

Meet the new HomePad.

The Versatility of the New 'HomePad'

Apple's as-yet-unnamed HomePad sounds like it will do everything the HomePod can and more, including support for Apple Intelligence's new Siri, according to Mark Gurman's report.

The device will be a smart display with built-in speakers. These speakers will certainly not compare to the HomePod speakers. However, the main feature of the HomePad will be its versatility, as you can connect individual attachments to it.

Gourman writes:

Apple has developed various mounts for the device, including ones that attach the screens to walls, like a classic home security panel. There will be bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen, on a nightstand, or on a table. Apple suggests that the FaceTime feature will be used while cooking or for video conferencing during work meetings.

The key detail here is the “bases with additional speakers.”

If these standalone speaker bases are primarily intended to provide improved FaceTime, say with built-in extra mics, then maybe they won't replace HomePods. Instead, I envision a base that's more like a conference call.

But it's also entirely possible that these speaker attachments will provide at least as powerful a music experience as the HomePod mini, and maybe even come close to the larger HomePod.

HomePad endgame: coexisting or replacing?

Best comment from Ashley

2 people liked it

These look like iPad accessories. If you have an iPad, why not use it in the same way as everything mentioned in this article.

Plug it into the base of the speaker, plug it into a wall mount, whatever you need at the time.

It would be great to see other uses for those three points, and it would add value to the iPad.

The only thing that needs to be addressed is what happens if someone else wants to control the lighting while the iPad is in use. Apple could still make that an option so that it can be upgraded to separate screens if needed.

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When thinking about the new HomePad and its relationship with the HomePod, I can imagine two scenarios.

Coexistence: Apple could allow HomePods to continue to specialize in audio quality while HomePad focuses on other priorities. Ideally, the two devices would work together so that Siri requests made to HomePod would be routed to the closest HomePad for processing, with the response returned to HomePod. Essentially, Apple could program HomePods to use HomePad’s more powerful Siri when the two devices are nearby. That way, HomePad wouldn’t be a replacement for HomePod, but rather a complementary device that actually improves it.
Replacement: On the other hand, HomePad could also make HomePod obsolete, eventually leading to its discontinuation. This would largely depend on the quality and design of HomePad’s “add-on speaker bases.” If they can match the HomePod's sound quality, Apple's original smart speaker will be more niche than ever, and its future looks murky.

Hopefully we'll get more details about Apple's plans for the HomePad in the coming months.

Either way, spring is just around the corner, and with it, Apple's new smart home efforts.

Do you think the HomePad will replace the HomePod or coexist with it? Let us know in the comments.