Apple is working on "a product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker", reports Bloomberg. The company is also mulling the launch of a new high-end speaker.
Apple TV + HomePod
Last month, Apple discontinued the HomePod but the company's more capable speaker may return in a different form, according to Bloomberg's reliable Mark Gurman.
- "The company is working on a product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions," the report said.
It is described as having standard Apple TV box capabilities like video and gaming support. Besides TV audio, the speaker would also be designed for playing music and using Siri voice commands. Bloomberg said that the device is in early development and cautioned that the company has not yet made a decision to launch it.
Company has spent years developing a wireless platform for TV audio
HomePod and Apple TV are both running tvOS after Apple unified the underlying software in 2020. In November 2020, the company introduced 'Home Theater' integration between Apple TV 4K and HomePod.
The report also claims that Apple is mulling the launch of a new high-end speaker with a touch screen.
- "The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is also mulling the launch of a high-end speaker with a touch screen to better compete with market leaders Google and Amazon.com Inc., the people said. Such a device would combine an iPad with a HomePod speaker and also include a camera for video chat. Apple has explored connecting the iPad to the speaker with a robotic arm that can move to follow a user around a room, similar to Amazon’s latest Echo Show gadget."
The Apple TV hardware has not been updated for more than three years.
- Source: Bloomberg
