According to Apple leaker and prototype collector “Kosutami,” the company is still developing a new HomePod model with a curved LCD display. A curved, convex LCD screen at the top of the B720 device appears to be the same design as the current HomePod. This screen is used to display content.
Kosutami shared images of component parts allegedly belonging to a prototype touchscreen HomePod in October. At the time, other reports claimed to have verified the legitimacy of these images with other sources.
Apple is said to be working on making Apple Music and Apple Podcasts compatible with the new display, which will display a blurred animation based on the colors of the album art when a song or podcast is playing.
In 2021, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman was the first to speculate that Apple is developing new HomePods with displays and cameras. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed earlier this year that Apple plans to release a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display in the first half of 2024.
According to Gurman, Apple is rethinking its smart home strategy and is working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device, as well as a HomePod with a screen mounted on a robotic arm.