HomePod 2025: New variant with display reportedly coming later
Apple's first Smart Display may be launched later than recently expected. According to a report, the new operating system is responsible for the delay.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
Apple's anticipated smart home initiative could be further delayed: mass production of a new HomePods with a display is not expected to start until the second half of 2025, according to an analyst with good contacts in Apple's supply chain. The new device category for Apple has already been postponed several times. Most recently, spring 2025 was discussed as the launch date for Apple's Smart Display. The main reason for the delay is software development, explains analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
HomePod expected with 6" display
According to this information, the new HomePod is equipped with a display measuring between 6 and 7 inches and is based on Apple's latest A18 processor, which recently made its debut in the iPhone 16. The device is therefore also designed for the AI functions of Apple Intelligence, which no HomePod currently available on the market supports. At the same time, Apple wants to reposition its HomePod division, Kuo emphasizes. To date, the devices have primarily served as networked speakers, with smart home functions playing only a minor role.
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Referring to patents, the analyst speculates that Apple sees the identification of people as an important component of the smart home. A counterpart to Face ID and Touch ID could lay the foundation for authentication and extended functions. The supply chain is therefore preparing for production of 500,000 units of the new HomePod with display in the second half of 2025. However, if demand is high, it is also possible to deliver around 1 million devices by the end of the year.
Repositioning of the HomePod overdue
A clear HomePod strategy has not yet emerged. The first HomePod, launched in 2018, only received important functions much later via a software update. Apple suddenly discontinued the product in March 2021 and relaunched it as HomePod 2 at – in early 2023 with only minor changes. A considerably cheaper HomePod mini appeared in 2020, but has never been technically updated in the past four years.
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