Bloomberg: Apple's HomePod with a display is still in 'early development'

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HomePod top view
HomePod top view (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is again rumored to be working on a HomePod with a screen built into it.
  • The device is still in the early stages o development.

Apple has been rumored to have plans for a HomePod combined with an Apple TV for a little while now and today saw Bloomberg' Mark Gurman weigh in, saying that the product is now in the "early development" stage of planning.

Apple currently offers the HomePod mini after discontinuing the HomePod proper. With the likes of Google and Amazon offering smart speakers with displays built into them, it's surely only a matter of time before Apple does that same,

As part of its broader home, audio and accessories strategy, Apple has also begun early development of a HomePod speaker with a built-in screen as well as a device that combines the features of a HomePod, FaceTime camera and Apple TV, Bloomberg News has reported. Competition for speakers with screens is already widespread. Apple released a HomePod mini speaker last year and outlined a minor update to the Apple TV set-top box last month

Bloomberg previously described the unannounced product thus:

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, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

A HomePod with a screen is something I would absolutely love to get my hands on and it's looking like it might happen at some point in the future. But Apple has been known to can products before launch in the past – I'm looking at you, AirPower.

Right now these are the best HomePod mini you're likely to find. If Apple isn't going to slap a screen on one any time soon, why not treat yourself?

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

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.