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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1522076
expect a new Apple TV and more advanced HomePods in 2024: Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box. A new version with the current design is in the works for the first half of next year with a faster processor, the people said. - Mark Gurman in January 2023 However, if Gurman’s current sources are accurate, that won’t be happening in the first half of this year. Rumors of a new HomePod have been circulating for a few years, but it’s become clear that even if Apple is working on something, it’s low on the company’s priority list. Gurman said three years ago that Apple was working on a HomePod with a screen, although he also cautioned us not to expect it anytime soon. Even so, those rumors sparked several rounds of speculation on what form such a HomePod would take, but none of those have put us any closer to seeing a finished product. While more recent reports have suggested an LCD-equipped HomePod is on its way, the first version may be little more than the HomePod design we know today with an LCD screen on top. Apple is also reportedly working on a more ambitious HomePod with a seven-inch iPad-like screen, but that’s not intended to replace the Apple TV. The reports of an Apple TV/HomePod combo also seem to have dried up lately, so we shouldn’t expect anything fancy like an “Apple TV Soundbar” anytime soon. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Apple isn’t working on these concepts, but as we said earlier, these projects always seem to be enchanting “setbacks.” As Gurman noted in early 2023: Work on a long-anticipated product that would combine the TV box with a smart speaker and FaceTime camera also has suffered setbacks, though that project is still ongoing. The device was initially targeted for release this year, but the timing has slipped. Likewise, the smart displays have seen their development schedules delayed and likely won’t launch until next year at the earliest. - Mark Gurman in January 2023 Apple’s living room strategy has always been a bit confusing, so it’s possible that Apple hasn’t even figured out what it wants to do here. Meanwhile, a new Apple TV may still be coming in 2024, but Gurman says it’s not “imminent.” If we do see one later this year, it’s likely to be little more than a spec bump to bring it up to a current A-series chip and possibly knock the price down a bit — just like the last three generations of Apple TV 4K. Most of what Apple has done with its set-top box lately has come from the iPhone and iOS/tvOS software updates. For example, the Apple TV finally gained FaceTime support last year not through an integrated camera but by Apple adding the ability to use the iPhone as your Apple TV camera through its Continuity Camera feature — and creating a booming market for camera mounts in the process.