Apple to launch a refreshed HomePod with the S8 processor in 2023 – Times of India

Apple seems to have lots of devices in the pipeline waiting for launch, and one of them is the successor to 2018’s original HomePod – Apple’s first smart home speaker – that was discontinued in 2021, says Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. According to Gurman, the rumoured HomePod might look the same and would be bigger than the HomePod mini – which went on to replace the HomePod.
In his latest newsletter, “Power On,” Gurman detailed what Apple has in store for us until next year. There are new iPhones, Macs and Watches, but Apple might also introduce the successor to 2018’s HomePod, codenamed B203, which should arrive sometime next year, according to Gurman.
Gurman shed some light on the upcoming HomePod and suggested that it would be powered by the S8 SiP (System-in-Package). Well, the S8 has not been out yet, and it is expected to be revealed with the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8, which should launch alongside the new iPhones in September this year.
In case you forgot, the original HomePod had the A8 chipset inside it, the same chip as iPhone 6S. Meanwhile, the HomePod mini is powered by the S5 SiP, the one from the Apple Watch Series 5. So, it makes more sense for the upcoming chipset to come with an S series chip rather than an older A-series chipset for better neural processing since it is going to handle a lot of Siri conversations.
Furthermore, the new HomePod is not expected to come with a drastic cosmetic change so that it might look the same as the original HomePod. As far as audio quality is concerned, Gurman says that it would be more or less the same as 2018’s HomePod. And it could come with an updated display on the top which might support multi-touch functionality.
One of the primary reasons behind the HomePod’s failure was its steep price tag. The HomePod was introduced at $349 (Rs 19,900 in India), while the majority of smart speakers were available for a fraction of its price. So, the chances are that the new HomePod may come with a more affordable price tag.