Apple TV Rumored To Gain Integrated Speaker And Camera As Smart Home Ambitions Grow
With the recent cancellation of the HomePod smart speaker, Apple has abandoned the high-end smart speaker market, leaving just the HomePod mini to tackle the entry-level sector. This loss does not appear to be stopping the Cupertino-based company quite yet, though, as rumors swirl of a revival in the smart home space courtesy of an Apple TV set-top box with a speaker and camera built-in.
According to anonymous sources who spoke to Bloomberg, the new Apple set-top box would utilize the camera and speaker to allow for “video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions.” Furthermore, it would include the standard gamut of Apple TV functionality such as watching shows and movies, gaming, and Siri integration.
Besides this set-top device, Apple is also supposedly discussing a “high-end speaker with a touch screen,” akin to a Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show device. Effectively, this device would be a HomePod and iPad mashed together, with the potential for a robotic arm to track a user with a camera during a video call.
The development of either of these products is only in the early stages and thus is too early to officially say whether they will come to market. Either way, the impetus is on Apple to continue the smart-home push as the pressure from Amazon and Google mounts with every new device released. In any case, keep an eye on HotHardware for updates on these possible Apple smart-home products.
