Apple is reportedly gearing up to advance its connected home strategy with new smart home devices, including a versatile new TV accessory that would feature Apple TV functionality along with an integrated HomePod speaker and a FaceTime camera.
Apple TV + HomePod + FaceTime Camera
Other devices are said to include smart speakers sporting screens, akin to Amazon's Echo Show, that would feature a robotic arm to follow you around the room during video calls.
Both predictions were first put forward by the well-informed Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, based on information provided by his deeply entrenched Apple sources.
Apple has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but a new device in early development could change that. 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.
More than three years old, the current Apple TV 4K is outsold and undercut by its competitors. Apple still hasn't released an updated box, and this could explain why. Many people have been clamoring for a more versatile smart home device from Apple that would combine Apple TV and HomePod functionality into a single gadget, and this appears to be it.
The report goes on to note that such a device would support all of the standard Apple TV functions such as watching video and gaming. On top of that, these features would be augmented with smart speaker functionality like playing music and using the Siri assistant.
As you know, the current Apple TV supports music and Siri but lacks built-in microphones that would let you issue voice commands hands-free, from across the room.
Also, Siri-Equipped Smart Displays
But that's not the only new smart home device that Apple appears to be working on.
According to the Bloomberg report, the company is considering new HomePod speakers featuring built-in screens and cameras that would integrate an iPad connected via a robotic arm to track and follow you around a room during video calls.
The Cupertino, California technology giant is also mulling the launch of a high-end speaker with a touch screen to better compete with market leaders Google and Amazon. Such a device would combine an iPad with a HomePod speaker and also include a camera for video chat. Apple has explored connecting the iPad to the speaker with a robotic arm that can move to follow a user around a room.
That would mark another move taken from Amazon's book---Amazon's Echo Show speaker also integrates a display along with a camera, but lacks a robotic arm.
HomePod Now Runs the Apple TV Software
Apple's current strategy for the connected home appears to be lacking on many fronts compared with its rivals. With that in mind, combining Apple TV and HomePod functionality into a brand new device could help the company turn the tables on the competition.
The original HomePod was powered by a custom version of the iOS operating system used in iPhones and iPads. Last year, however, Apple transitioned the HomePod to using a modified version of the tvOS software that powers its Apple TV box.
The move puzzled many watchers at the time. But with the benefit of today's hindsight, and taking into account Bloomberg's report, this could make lots of sense if Apple is indeed building a more versatile device for the smart home.
Image Credit: Apple