Apple's HomePod could get an iPhone feature you use every day

Two white homepods sitting on a television stand (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is rumored to be bringing the HomePod back from the dead.
The new HomePod is rumored for a 2023 release.
A new multi-touch component is also being discussed.

Those hoping for a revival of the OG HomePod could be in for a treat if recent reports of a return are any indication. A new report now claims that the updated HomePod will not only be more like the original smart speaker than the smaller HomePod mini, but also suggests a big iPhone feature is being added.

Writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is hard at work on an updated HomePod that will be larger than the current HomePod mini, likely ensuring that it sounds more like the original HomePod — thumping bass and all. While the return of Apple's best-ever HomePod is cause for celebration, Gurman also sweetened the deal by saying that a big iPhone feature could also be part of the speaker's return.

HomePod could get multi-touch technology, although it isn't clear what it would be used for at this time.

The HomePod, code-named B620, will run the same S8 chip coming to the watches and will be closer to the original HomePod in terms of size and audio performance rather than a new HomePod mini. The new HomePod will have an updated display on top and there's even been some talk of multi-touch functionality.

Multi-touch is one of the best iPhone features that many of us take for granted. It allows more than one finger to be tracked on-screen at any given time, something we use for resizing photos, zooming, and more without ever thinking about it. The addition of such a feature to HomePod could be interesting, although we'll need to see what Apple has planned.

The addition of the same S8 chip that will power Apple Watch Series 8 is also notable, ensuring the HomePod has plenty of processing power for speedy Siri requests and more. Little else is known about the updated HomePod, however, although hopes will surely be high that Apple will launch at a more reasonable price this time around. The original HomePod arrived in 2017 with an eye-watering asking price of $349.

While no firm release information was given, Gurman does suggest that we will need to wait until next year for the smart speaker to break cover.

HomePod mini

Bottom line: Apple is preaching to the choir with this one, a tremendous speaker for its price and size, but only for those who are already invested in Apple's ecosystem of products and services.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.