The next HomePod is believed to be the biggest redesign of the smart speaker since its inception in 2018. That's because all the rumors suggest Apple will be adding a display to the device that'll allow it to compete with the likes of the Amazon Echo Show 15 or the Google Nest Hub.
Unfortunately, it seems like the development process has suffered a setback and we won't see the new product until at least after WWDC next year. That means it could be late June or early July at the earliest.
This comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacObserver) who claims Apple has postponed the device until the third quarter of 2025. Kuo puts this down to ongoing software development challenges related to the device. That could be to do with how it interacts with other smart home devices since Apple will surely want this to function as a smart home control center.
The next generation HomePod is believed to feature an A18 processor with a 6.7-inch display. Back in October, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed it will be priced around $1,000 and the screen will be “positioned atop a swivelling robotic limb” with the speaker at its base.
He added the HomePod will shift away from being a music player to “focus on home security monitoring, advanced videoconferencing and media playback with high-quality audio.”
Based on tvOS
This pivot into home security is likely where some of the aforementioned software struggles have come from. Gurman also claimed Apple is “building a new Home Ecosystem team” with some of the engineers left over from the closed Apple Car project.
The software plan for this will also expand to include a new operating system called homeOS, which will apparently be built on the tvOS software which powers Apple TV (itself based on iOS).
The software plan for this will also expand to include a new operating system called homeOS, which will apparently be built on the tvOS software.
If that's the case, then it makes sense for Apple to lay the groundwork for the device at next year's WWDC and follow up with a hardware release soon afterwards.
Apple certainly has a lot of catching up to do in the smart home space against the likes of Google and Amazon, but the company is famous for disrupting the status quo when it does finally decide to jump into a new market category.
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