This new Apple product would overshadow Google and Amazon

According to information from the site 9to5Mac, Apple’s next HomePod would be equipped with a very large screen which would position it opposite the Nest Hub and Echo Show from Google and Amazon.

For more than a year, rumors have been growing around a new version of HomePod, Apple’s connected speaker. In March 2023, we learned, just a few weeks after the release of the HomePod 2, that Apple planned to launch a new HomePod with a large 7-inch screen. Now, new clues corroborate this hypothesis within the tvOS code itself.

The site 9to5Mac, specializing in Apple news, has in fact got its hands on version 17.4 beta 3 of the tvOS system used not only by Apple TV boxes, but also by Apple’s HomePod speakers. Within the OS code, the specialized site was able to identify the existence of a new device, appearing under the code name Z314.

A 7 or 8 inch screen

According to information unearthed by 9to5Macthe device in question would in fact be equipped with an Apple A15 Bionic chip, that is to say the processor which notably equipped the iPhone 13, the iPhone 14, the iPad mini 6 or the Apple TV 4K of 2022. Until now, the SoC has only been used on devices designed to work with a screen, unlike the current HomePod. 9to5Mac also specifies that this tvOS update also integrates the SwiftUI framework into the HomePod software, just like the hangtracerd tool intended to correct unresponsive elements in iOS. These are two tools designed specifically for devices with a screen, which therefore suggests that the new device with tvOS will indeed be equipped with a display.

The latest rumors suggest that the next HomePod will have a 7 or 8 inch screen. More than just a connected speaker, it could therefore be a competitor to the Google Nest Hub or Amazon’s Echo Show screens.

For now, Apple has obviously not confirmed that it is working on such a device. It is not yet known when it could be announced and at what price it could be launched.