Apple’s New HomePod with Display May Debut by Year’s End

Apple is reportedly getting ready to unveil a refreshed version of its HomePod smart speaker—this time equipped with a built-in display. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (through 9to5Mac), the device might be available by the end of the year, though the exact schedule is still unclear.

The redesigned HomePod is anticipated to come with a 7-inch display, following earlier information, and is intended to act as a central hub for Apple’s smart home network. Besides the screen, the gadget might boast a camera, smart home management features, support for Apple Intelligence (Apple’s AI platform), and a rechargeable battery. While it will continue to operate as a speaker, Apple is expected to promote it more as a smart home hub rather than merely an audio device.

Initially intended for a 2024 rollout, the HomePod’s launch has faced several delays. Gurman attributes these postponements mainly to issues with Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. Once at the forefront of the smart assistant market, Siri has had difficulty competing with the more sophisticated AI solutions from rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

When it finally becomes available, the HomePod with a display may mark the beginning of a fresh series of AI-enabled Apple products. Gurman also mentions that Apple is developing a more advanced variant featuring a robotic arm, which could be released one to two years after the first model is introduced.