More references to new HomePod with a screen found in tvOS 17.4

tvOS 17 references HomePod screen iPad concept

We’ve been hearing rumors about Apple’s future plans for the HomePod, and 9to5Mac reported last year that the company has been internally running tvOS on a modified iPad mini to see how a new HomePod with a built-in display would work. With tvOS 17.4 beta, we found evidence of an unreleased device that could be the rumored HomePod with a screen.

tvOS 17.4 hints at new HomePod with a display

Code seen by 9to5Mac in tvOS 17.4 beta 3, which was released on Tuesday to developers, reveals the existence of a new device identified as “Z314” capable of running the operating system. As you may know, both Apple TV and the HomePod run tvOS, although the version that runs on the HomePod lacks a user interface.

Based on our findings, the unreleased “Z314” device is powered by an A15 Bionic chip, which interestingly is the same as the iPad mini 6. Code reveals that there are internal development and also production versions of this device under test, which suggests that it may have reached an advanced stage of development.

To add fuel to the fire, tvOS 17.4 beta 3 adds SwiftUI frameworks to the HomePod firmware. Moreover, hangtracerd (a system tool used to debug unresponsive UI in iOS apps) has also been added to the HomePod version of tvOS 17.4. There would be no reason for Apple to add such features to the HomePod system if it wasn’t planning a new device with a fully functional display.

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Thanks to tvOS 17.2, we’ve learned that Apple has been running the Apple TV operating system on modified versions of the iPad mini 6. Presumably, the company has been exploring how tvOS looks on a 8-inch display, which coincides with a report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo about a new HomePod model with a display the size of an iPad mini.

With tvOS 17.4 beta 3, we also found evidence that Apple has been using an unreleased Mac model (identified as Mac14,16) to run internal tests.

At the same time, Apple is developing a new version of the HomePod with a small LCD screen on top. This one is expected to replace the HomePod 2 at some point in the near future. As for the version with a larger display, it’s still unclear whether it will ever see the light of day – but based on all this evidence, it now seems more likely.