Apple's HomePod With a Screen Delayed Until Next Year at the Earliest
Apple's project to design its first HomePod with a screen has been pushed back until next year at the earliest, as part of a series of cost-cutting measures and belt-tightening efforts to make its operations more efficient.
In his latest Power On newsletter, well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman suggested that delaying the device will allow Apple to allocate its research and development budget to more pressing projects, like mixed reality headsets.
The move is part of a strategy to contain costs that should enable the company to maintain an appearance of stability in an unstable economy and avoid the swingeing cutbacks and layoffs that have befallen other tech companies including Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
Other moves to avoid layoffs are said to include delaying bonuses for corporate teams, pausing hiring on some teams, reining in budgets, and leaving roles open rather than filling them when people leave their positions.
The revised timing for the rumored HomePod product tallies with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's recent prediction that a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display will arrive in the first half of 2024.
In 2021, Gurman was first to suggest that Apple is working on new HomePods with displays and cameras. In the long term, Apple is believed to be rethinking its smart home strategy and is reportedly working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device, as well as a HomePod with a screen mounted on a robotic arm.
Popular Stories
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...
