There have been multiple rumors about Apple working on various touchscreen Apple TV and HomePod hybrid devices in recent years, and new findings in the tvOS 18 update give more clues about the development Apple is making in the home space.
/article-new/2024/01/Second-Generation-HomePod-With-Top-LCD-Feature.jpg "tvOS 18 hints at a HomePod with a touchscreen")
According to KeynoteUSAMac, a unique touch interface has been found in tvOS 18 beta 3, and the find is relevant to the HomePod because the HomePod’s software is a fork of the tvOS software. The interface is called “PlasterBoard” internally, and PlasterBoard is in line with the naming of Apple’s other interfaces, including SpringBoard for iOS and iPadOS, PineBoard for tvOS, SoundBoard for HomePod, and SurfBoard for visionOS. The interface appears to feature only a lock screen with a touch-sensitive keypad for entering passcodes at the moment, with not much else revealed about it.
The Apple TV doesn’t include an option to lock it with a passcode, nor does the HomePod, as for now the HomePod only supports simple control gestures. The layout found in the beta looks a lot like the on-screen keyboard seen on an iPhone or iPad.
Rumors suggest that Apple is working on several home control devices, and the mix of rumors we’ve heard indicates that multiple development paths and prototypes are being explored. There have been rumors of a simple HomePod with a touchscreen on top, a hybrid HomePod and Apple TV device with a camera, a HomePod with both a display and a camera, and some sort of iPad/HomePod combination that doubles as a home control hub.
A standard HomePod with an LED touchscreen on top of the device could potentially be the first HomePod-display combo we see. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a HomePod with a 7-inch display would launch sometime in 2024, and images of the prototype have leaked.
Last week, KeynoteUSA found code that referenced a “Home Accessory” device with a HomeAccessory17,1 identifier. No existing HomePod or Apple TV devices use the HomeAccessory identifier, but it’s similar to the AudioAccessory identifier that Apple uses internally for the HomePod. Based on the numbering, this upcoming device is equipped with the same A18 chip that we expect to see in the iPhone 16 lineup.
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