BloombergMark Gurman revealed today that Apple has developed new speakers that are equipped with “screens and cameras”, suggesting that we could see a future HomePod-like device that has a built-in screen and a camera function for FaceTiming and other functions.
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Before these rumors, MacRumors collaborator Steve Moser analyzed the beta code tvOS 14.5 and found that Apple added FaceTime and iMessage frames, along with a new AVFCapture frame related to image capture.
You may be wondering what the tvOS code has to do with HomePod, but in April 2020 Apple started using tvOS as the basis for software running on “HomePod” rather than iOS. watchOS, tvOS and the software running on “HomePod” are all variants of iOS, but each is differentiated by the device on which the software is intended to run with unique interfaces, APIs and much more.
This means that the features included in tvOS are also included in the HomePod software, because they have the same basic code. Therefore, the “FaceTime”, iMessage and image capture frames added to tvOS in tvOS 14.5 could actually be designed for a future “HomePod” that has a screen and a camera, as described by Gurman.
HomePod and HomePod mini are already able to use FaceTime audio, but the FaceTime framework discovered in 14.5 beta is distinct from any code related to the existing FaceTime audio function. The frames are in tvOS 14.5 beta and in the 14.5 omeHomePod beta software available for tester selection.
Gurman says there is no planned “imminent launch” for the camera-equipped speaker, so such a product may not appear. It is also quite possible that the iMessage, FaceTime and AVFCapture frames introduced in tvOS 14.5 have a completely different purpose, which is not completely related to a “HomePod” and may remain hidden in the code or used for an unspecified feature. coming on Apple TV or omeHomePod in the future.
In the semi-related news, version 14.5 beta also suggests that Apple could develop a kind of trivia game for Siri, where Siri could offer trivia questions for users to answer. It is labeled as “utSiri Edutainment” in the code, but it is unclear whether it will be a built-in Siri feature or support for a third party product.