Apple's rumored display-clad HomePod may be edging closer to reality, with Apple seemingly trialing the running of tvOS on an iPad mini.
A mock-up of a HomePod with a display
Rumors have circulated earlier in 2023 that Apple wanted to expand the HomePod into becoming more than just a smart speaker, with the inclusion of a seven-inch display. In the latest update to tvOS 17, it seems Apple is still working on the concept.
In an inspection of the firmware for tvOS 17.2's first developer beta, 9to5Mac reports that the firmware includes some unusual devices under its list of compatible models. Alongside the HomePod range and some Apple TV models, there's also apparently support files so the firmware could work on an iPad mini 6.
Similarly, support for the iPad mini 6 was found in Xcode 15's tvOS 17 SDK. Drivers for the iPad mini have also been discovered in tvOS 17 frameworks for audio calibration.
Previous mentions
Apple already has a lot going for it in the smart home category, with HomeKit and poducts like a HomePod and Apple TV helping users set up and manage a smart home network in their abode.
There have been quite a few murmurs of more smart home-specific items on the way, with talk of a HomePod-with-display happening a few times in 2023.
Bloomberg claimed in April 2021 that Apple could marry the iPad and HomePod into a smart speaker with a display. Sources said that it would be able to play music like a HomePod but also hook up to a television, and using a built-in camera to enable video calling.
In January 2023, Bloomberg wrote about a smart tablet that would control home devices, as well as displaying video and handling FaceTime chats. The concept was thought to be somewhat similar to an iPad in functionality.
By March, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo joined in, claiming in March that a revamped HomePod with a built-in 7-inch screen will ship in the first half of 2024.
In October, a hardware prototype surfaced in pictures, showing a large touch-enabled LCD screen in the top of a HomePod. However, while this seemed to demonstrate more a future iteration of the established HomePod form than a smart home device, it does at least demonstrate that Apple has more ideas it wants to achieve for its smart speaker.