By Julie Clover
According to 9to5Mac, the tvOS 17.4 beta released today contains code that references a future HomePod with a display. The site claims that there is evidence of a device with the ID “Z314” with an A15 chip inside, with both production and “in-house” versions of the device being tested by Apple.
Based on our findings, the unreleased Z314 device is equipped with an A15 Bionic chip, which is interestingly the same as the iPad mini 6. The code shows that there are internal developments as well as production versions of this product in testing, suggesting that it may have reached an advanced stage of development.
Reportedly, latest beta adds SwiftUI frameworks to HomePod firmware to support HomePod with display.
We've heard a lot of rumors about HomePod with touch display from trusted sources. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March 2023 that there is a HomePod with a 7-inch display in development, and in October 2023, host Kosutami reported that the next generation HomePod will have a similar design to the current model, but with a large LCD touchscreen at the top instead of an LED matrix.
Currently, HomePods are equipped with the same chips that Apple uses in the Apple Watch. than the A-series chips used in Apple devices, so 9to5Mac's discovery of a mention of the A15 Bionic may reflect a shift. However, the S9 chip in the Apple Watch Series 9 is based on the A15 Bionic, so it would also make sense for the new HomePod.
In 2023, Kuo said that HomePod with display will release in the first half of 2024, but we haven't heard any additional release details since then. It's unclear when this device will arrive, but Apple plans to introduce new iPads and Macs around March, so we might also see a new HomePod at the time.
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