Further Apple HomePod firmware spelunking shows 1GB of RAM, 272x340 screen

A deeper dive into the HomePod firmware that was briefly available over the weekend shows the A8-powered device will boast 1GB of RAM available and a 272-by-340 pixel screen, suggesting that rudimentary app support will be possible for the hardware in the future.

Details from the HomePod firmware were gleaned by Avery Magnotti, and revealed to the world in a tweet.

HomePod has a "screen" of 272x340 and 1GB RAM cc @stroughtonsmith pic.twitter.com/IviOcwRY9n
— Avery Magnotti (@citrusui) July 31, 2017

The resolution is the same as the 38mm Apple Watch screen. A teardown of the S1 chip on the original Apple Watch showed 512MB of RAM. For comparison, the iPhone 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM, and over 22 times the number of pixels. If the report is accurate, the HomePod will use the same processor specifications as seen in Apple's iPhone 6.

The reported 1GB of RAM appears to be overkill for the functions of the HomePod, even including a future expansion of Siri. It is unclear what Apple intends to do with it in the future, but a prediction of future app support for the device seems obvious.

A graphic that appears to represent the form factor of the as-yet unreleased "iPhone 8" was also gleaned from examination of the firmware, as well as resolution and display size information.

Apple's $349 HomePod was revealed at the 2017 WWDC and will ship in December. The HomePod is powered by an Apple A8 chip featuring realtime acoustic modeling, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancelation. It also features a subset of Siri, optimized for music consumption.

17 Comments

9secondkox2 3128 comments · 8 Years

About 7 years ago

netrox 1502 comments · 12 Years

I am guessing it's only when its linked to Apple Watch to run some apps for HomePod?

darkvader 1146 comments · 15 Years

Apple can get away with charging a premium price sometimes.

But I'm betting this isn't one of those times. Amazon's competing product which is already available is $180. Google's also already available product is $130.

And I don't want any of them. I not only have no need for an always-listening mic in my house, I actively don't want one and wouldn't take one if it were free.

There's not $350 of value in this product. A few rich people will buy them because they're new gadgets. A few absolutely obsessive Apple fans will buy them. Everybody else will look at that price and say nope, I don't need one of those.

foggyhill 4767 comments · 10 Years

darkvader said:

Apple can get away with charging a premium price sometimes.

But I'm betting this isn't one of those times. Amazon's competing product which is already available is $180. Google's also already available product is $130.

And I don't want any of them. I not only have no need for an always-listening mic in my house, I actively don't want one and wouldn't take one if it were free.

There's not $350 of value in this product. A few rich people will buy them because they're new gadgets. A few absolutely obsessive Apple fans will buy them. Everybody else will look at that price and say nope, I don't need one of those.

You proved in way your point; what Amazon and Google offer is in no way similar.
What on earth are you even talking about.
A Speaker who self adjusts to the environment its in, or even the position of the listener, in real time... And you say Google and Amazon are offering the same? Say What.

In fact, i'd wager that fully exploited, they'd be nothing even close to this in the marketplace.

Soli 9981 comments · 9 Years

netrox said:

I am guessing it's only when its linked to Apple Watch to run some apps for HomePod?

Are you talking about the display? If so, that's the animation you see on top of the device through the plastic top. It makes sense to use the same resolution display as it simplifies a codebase they've already used for Watch even if the display is not the same size, but I see no connectivity or crossover with the Watch UI or apps. While technically a display there's no indication that it'll be used for anything other than basic imagery to indicate the device is communicating between audible replies, which includes playing back requested music.