In a report featuring a possible Apple TV with a combined HomePod and camera, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is investigating a future high-end HomePod speaker, including an iPad connected via a robotic arm that follows and follows users across a room.
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From the report:
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is also considering launching a high-end speaker with a touchscreen to better compete with industry leaders Google and Amazon.com Inc., the people said. Such a device would combine a iPad with a HomePod speaker and also include a camera for video chat. Apple has explored connecting the iPad to the speaker with a robotic arm that can move to follow a user across a room, similar to Amazon’s latest Echo Show gadget.
Gurman had previously hinted that Apple was working on a “HomePod” with a screen and camera, as it appears to be bolstering its smart home range. Today’s report builds on that, revealing that the Cupertino tech giant wants to use the iPad, possibly connected to the speaker via a robotic arm that tracks and follows users during video calls.
The HomePod / iPad combo is said to work in the same way as Amazon’s Echo 10, which has a tablet connected to a robotic arm and uses facial recognition to keep users in view during conference calls or when asking for attention.
Bloomberg notes that the development of this high-end loudspeaker is still very early in its early stages, calling it a “concept” that could never see the light of day in the end. Apple recently discontinued its original HomePod, saying it will shift resources to focus on the HomePod mini instead.