Apple may have big plans for smart home devices, but why you may have to wait a little longer – Times of India

Apple reportedly seems to have big plans for smart home devices, but not for this year. The Cupertino giant may launch a new HomePod, its smart speaker, in the beginning of next year, as per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Alongwith a new HomePod, Apple may also launch an updated HomePod Mini in early 2023 as well, claims the report. This means that Apple may not be giving a refresh to its HomePod range this year. So all those waiting for a new version will have to wait till next year.
Apple discontinued HomePod in 2021. Presently, Apple only sells HomePod mini, the smaller yet powerful version of the smart speaker. But Gurman believes that the device might make a comeback with an improved version next year. However, he also added that the changes in the new HomePod won’t be “super impressive”. He didn’t mention or elaborate on what these changes to the device could be. As per his earlier claims, the new HomePod is codenamed B620 and will be powered by the S8 chip of the future Apple Watch Series 8. But when it comes to the predicted launch window, Gurman’s claims line up with those of tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who has also mentioned earlier about the return of the full-sized HomePod.

An improved version of the HomePod mini may also arrive in the beginning of 2023. Chances of both the HomePod devices getting the latest Bluetooth v5.2 are high.
Gurman also added that there are two more smart home devices being developed by Apple (thus making the total count to four) “but not all will see the light of the day.” One of these is a kitchen device that combines an iPad and a speaker while the other one is a living room device that combines an Apple TV, camera and HomePod. He predicts that one of these may see the launch by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.