Apple planning major smart home shift based around new HomePod

The much-rumoured next-gen Apple HomePod project, which is tipped to feature an iPad-like display, will mark a fundamental smart home shift in focus for the company’s smart speaker line.

Trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has taken to Medium to offer an update on Apple’s HomePod plans, which should take on a different focus over the coming years.

Smart home functionality will be much more pronounced than on the current HomePod range, which is more about audio quality with the bonus of simple Siri commands. Kuo describes this as nothing less than “Apple’s strategic repositioning of the HomePod product line.”

Kuo likens this shift to how Apple has change its angle on the Apple Watch. The company initially treated its smartwatch as a glorified fashion trinket and accessory for the iPhone, but has since been positioned as an ambitious health management device.

This new smart home focus for Apple’s HomePod range will apparently be furthered in 2026 with the launch of a home camera that will wirelessly connect to the new display-equipped HomePod. “I believe Apple will tightly integrate these two new products with its existing ecosystem and HomeKit to deliver a seamless smart home experience,” notes Kuo, not unreasonably.

As Kuo notes, the recent patent history from Apple has pointed towards an interest in authentication methods for smart home applications.

The display-equipped HomePod will apparently run on Apple’s A18 processor, which is the chip that powers its iPhone 16. It’ll be fronted by a 6- to 7-inch display, while Apple Intelligence will form a core part of the package.

According to Kuo’s post, the new HomePod x iPad hybrid will commence mass production in the third quarter of 2025. This represents a slip from Kuo’s initial prediction of a 2024 launch.

The product has seemingly been delayed multiple times from its original 2024 launch window. According to Kuo, the production delay comes down to unspecified software development issues.

Kuo separately notes that the iPad Pro M5 will commence mass production in the second half of 2025, so there’s a reasonable chance that these two devices will hit the market at the same time.

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