David Phelan Apple’s next product in the smart speaker category is coming, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter. If this surprises you, I can not blame you. After all, the first HomePod arrived quite some time ago, in February 2020, to be exact. During that time, I have tried many smart speakers and would say that the HomePod sounds better. However, Apple withdrew it to focus on the smaller HomePod mini. MORE THAN FORBESApple Reveals Jaw Upgrade For AirPods Pro 2 By David Phelan The second best smart speaker in my opinion, after you ask, is the Apple HomePod mini, which was released in November 2020 and was updated last year with three vibrant new colors, blue, yellow and orange. According to Gurman, a tracking product is still on the cards and will be quite different from either the HomePod or the HomePod mini. So different, in fact, I would not be surprised if it had a brand new name. This is because Gurman claims that he will combine, as he puts it, “a HomePod, an Apple TV and a FaceTime camera”. If such a combination surprises you, sign up for the club. Sounds like a whole different gadget and a little Frankenstein-y in it. Will the next HomePod have a built-in Apple TV? Apple I mean, I can see the value of merging Apple TV with HomePod, as it’s a neat way to ensure a perfectly integrated Apple TV sound with something you can connect to your TV. But it limits where you can place it: it has to sit close to your screen. Wouldn’t a new, improved regular HomePod be better? Maybe, but do not hold your breath. Gurman says, “I do not think a large standalone HomePod is still in development, but maybe a new HomePod mini is coming.” Well, a new mini is better than nothing, but the main product that Gurman envisions needs a bit of familiarity. Besides, the FaceTime camera will also limit where you place it — and that’s different from the ethos of the HomePod and the mini, which offer 360-degree sound. With a camera, you have to point it in a certain direction. There are others: “In any case, the combination product will probably be at the heart of Apple’s approach, with HomePod minis surrounding it all over the house.” This makes a little more sense, that the new device should be a home entertainment hub, and from this I would get that maybe this new device is not a speaker at all, but something connected to the HomePod mini speakers to make its noise . In what case is this not an upgraded Apple TV but a new HomePod? The Gurman is clearly a HomePod, so it should include a speaker. He is also adamant that this is happening, although he does not seem to be at an advanced stage. More details as they arise. MORE THAN FORBESApple accidentally reveals iPhone pioneering feature in David Phelan’s new patent
