by At Apple’s major annual WWDC 2022 conference, Tim Cook’s giant released the first developer beta of iOS 16. Cue a deep dive into the plethora of new features (including reworked notifications that don’t intrude on your lock screen photo, which is also much more customizable in general) and, most exciting for HomePod enthusiasts, Apple’s first evidence of a new HomePod model…probably.
In the beta (a pre-release version of the software that’s distributed to a specially selected group of users to try out in the wild – though it can be viewed and downloaded by mere mortals if you and your iPhone are feeling brave), there are references to an unreleased HomePod model.
As first spotted by 9to5Mac (opens in a new tab), the original HomePod in the beta code is labeled “AudioAccessory1” and the HomePod mini is “AudioAccessory5”. What’s exciting is that there’s also an “AudioAccessory6″…
What else does all this tell us? Granted, nothing about the actual size, specs, price, or release date of the highly anticipated HomePod 2 (as it may or may not be called). But what are these codes do prove is that iOS 16 is primed and ready to support an all-new HomePod model.
Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously claimed that Apple is preparing a new HomePod, which is expected to launch in 2022 or early 2023. The good news is that all Apple devices released in this particular time window will work on iOS 16, so recent findings from the beta build bolster Kuo’s prediction.
Opinion: I yearn for a new HomePod – as long as it’s competitively priced
While little is known about the new HomePod’s features (Kuo claimed that “there may not be much innovation in hardware design”), keep in mind that Apple has actually ditched the original HomePod in 2021, even though it’s the only one of its two smart speakers to support spatial audio.
A newer, larger, Spatial Audio-enabled Apple HomePod that, crucially, doesn’t have as hot and heavy a price tag as Apple’s original 2017 HomePod is an exciting prospect for the music lover. I would very much like to see it. I would also be one of the first to take one.
Apple’s original HomePod is still a sonic joy and a thing of beauty – detailed, expansive, lively, zealous – and I still watch that pulsating orb of light happily as Siri bends to my will. That said, it’s gotten ridiculously expensive in a market where $50 is the going rate for the Amazon Echo voice assistant speakerphone alternative.
Could Apple design a HomePod with a display to rival the Amazon Echo Show 10 – which, let’s be honest, looks a lot like a HomePod with an iPad stuck on it at an angle? I hope not. On the one hand, Amazon has already switched to the Echo Show 15, which loses the idea of the big-barrel speaker, and on the other hand, an Apple smart speaker with an additional screen would surely drive prices up even further. price.
For my money, Apple excels in audio quality – when it wants it. If the Cupertino giant can muster all of its surgical skills when integrating HomePod drivers, but do so in a slightly larger package and at a more affordable price, it should build it. People will come (Ray)…
