An Apple TV Box With a HomePod Speaker
Apple may be combining its TV box and HomePod speaker to form a new device. 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.
Apple has been rumored to have plans for a HomePod combined with an Apple TV for some time now. The rumor has been spurred on by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said that the product is in the “early development” stage of planning in April.
Apple discontinued its original high-end HomePod in March due to disappointing sales, leaving many wondering if the company was working on something better.
Apple currently offers the HomePod mini, which has been much more popular thanks to its lower price. A new second-generation Apple TV 4K was released in May.
The tech giant combined its HomePod and Apple TV engineering groups in 2020 and unified the underlying software that runs on both devices, which may have served as a hint that it may eventually integrate the hardware lines.
The combined device’s other capabilities would include standard Apple TV box functions like watching video and gaming, as well as what you’d expect to do with a normal smart speaker, such as playing music, and of course, using Siri.
A High-End Speaker With a Touch Screen
As both of these smart home devices are reportedly in the early stages of development, nothing is cast in stone—Apple may decide against launching them or change some of their features at any point in time.
Apple Trails Behind Competitors in the Smart Home Market
Research by Strategy Analytics also revealed that Apple held a 2-percent share of the TV streaming device market in 2020.
