Leak reveals Apple testing HomePod with LCD display

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Apple is not new to testing weird products that never make it out of the prototype stage. The list of patents filed by the Cupertino-based tech giant is even weirder, with gadgets like a foldable iMac, MacBook-integrated iPhone, a windowless car, vibrating VR socks, and self-adjusting bands for the Apple Watch being proposed. However, a new leak has surfaced showcasing an Apple device that could very well make it to the market - a HomePod with an LCD display. Know all about it.

This is not the first time that a HomePod with an LCD display has been mentioned. Sources including Bloomberg's Mark Gurman have previously reported that Apple has been working on a new HomePod with a display in a bid to strengthen its foothold in the smart home devices segment. And now, an Apple collector who goes by @KosutamiSan on X shared snapshots of the prototype HomePod.

“An Engineering build HomePod frameshell with a completely different glass on top- it's set for touchscreen, with black bezel”, the user wrote. Quoting sources, 9to5Mac reported that the device is indeed in development although there isn't any confirmation of whether it will make it out of the prototype stage. This HomePod with an LCD display has been codenamed ‘B720'.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously reported that the HomePod might feature a 7-inch display supplied by Chinese company Tianma. It would enable “tighter integration with Apple's other hardware products, marking a significant shift in the company's smart home strategy”. KosutamiSan also claimed that the design of this HomePod with LCD display is similar to the HomePod 2nd Generation that was announced in January this year.

Currently, Apple sells two HomePods - the larger HomePod which starts at $299 and the HomePod