Apple is late to the smart speaker party, and if the total number of products must be considered, it almost seems not interested in the market. Of course, the company will be very useful if you invest a large amount in the aspect of this smart home, but in a typical way Apple, it needs a sweet time to ensure that all parts exist before making the killer movement. It seems that the wait might end, and Apple took steps with a new homepod smart speaker soon. However, it might only be the opening Salvo, and Apple might have more shops for smart homes in the near future with devices that can give Amazon and Google run for their money.
Unlike almost all of his products, the first homepod speaker came a year after being announced, making Apple fans nervous about whether it would happen at all. When the model arrived in 2018, Amazon Echo and Google Home were on the market for years. Receipts of Apple’s homepod are also quite positive, with a review of praising the quality of its voice but criticizing the lack of features compared to the increasing number of smart speakers on the market.
Forward fast four years later, and the original homepod was replaced by a mini homepod. Although Apple has discussed most of the criticism in terms of features, there are only two homepod models that have been launched. There are many rooms for improvement in ways that cannot be given by software updates, and apparently Apple is finally ready to take the smart home market with a storm.
Apple’s alleged smart home agenda
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has talked about the upper -class homepod that will come soon, but it seems only the peak of the iceberg. According to Technology Journalists (via 9TO5MAC), this new homepod will be more like the original in terms of audio size and quality but will have the latest Apple S8 chip (the same chip expected on the upcoming Apple Watch 8 series), and support for standards and features wireless current. Although reportedly will be launched by itself, the next generation model should join a new mini homepod that is reported will also get several improvements, including, potential, support for Bluetooth 5.2 standard at this time.
But wait, there’s more! Gurman said that Apple also has two other smart home devices in the pipe. One will be a kitchen device which is a mash-up of iPad and speaker, while others are said to combine Apple TV, cameras and homepods. If this description sounds familiar, you may have heard about products like the Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub Max, explaining that Apple is preparing to take his biggest rival in this room – assuming, of course, the claim is right.
These four products can help strengthen Apple’s position in the smart home market outside only the home ecosystem. Which said, even Gurman was not sure anytime or even if all of these products would see the light of the day, except for the upper-class homepod that might only be a few more months. Mini homepod, which is a more likely candidate, may be launched around 2023, while one other smart home device can debut in 2024, with the assumption they were not issued before that.