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The new Apple HomePod prototype is exposed with a large LCD screen at the top

Shulou Source: shulou.com Published: 2023-11-24 21:25:06 11月15日 Update

CTOnews.com October 22 news, Apple this year launched the second generation HomePod smart slightly, this is two years after the discontinuation of the first generation size smart speaker. Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be working on several HomePod prototypes, some with LCD displays. Photos of one of these prototypes have been posted online recently, and 9to5mac says it can confirm that the photos are from the real prototype.

CTOnews.com notes that Kosutami, an Apple prototype collector, shared an unreleased image of the HomePod this morning with a large size LCD screen on top of the slightly, much larger than the existing HomePod screen size. Kosutami also shared pictures of some HomePod components.

Kosutami said the leaked HomePods are designed more like the second generation than the discontinued first generation, but he did not provide further details.

9to5Mac confirmed via sources that the images are authentic and learned more about the HomePod with LCD display. The prototype, code-named B720, is being actively developed by Apple.

While Apple hasn't decided when (or if) to launch the HomePod, the B720 is an advanced stage prototype, suggesting it's something the company plans to launch in the near future.

Notably, HomePod runs a modified version of tvOS without a user interface. To take advantage of the new HomePod's display, Apple has been rewriting some tvOS apps so they can run on different display formats.

There is evidence in the tvOS 17 code that Apple Music and Apple Podcasts were among the first apps to be rewritten to accommodate the new display format. The LcdUTest app shown in Kosutami's shared image is an internal app that engineers use to test new displays.

It's unclear what the interface will look like, but 9to5Mac has learned that when a song or podcast is played, the HomePod display displays a fuzzy animation based on the album cover color. There are also indications that it will display some important notifications, possibly for answering calls and replying to messages.