According to Mark Gurman, Apple will probably release a new Homepod model next year with a new display on top that supports new touch interactions.

What did the Bloomberg journalist say?

A Bloomberg reporter wrote in the most recent issue of his Power On newsletter that the smart speaker will be powered by the next Apple Watch Series 8 Chip, the S8 processor. It will be about the same size and sound quality as the original, now-discontinued HomePod.

What can it contain?

The HomePod, code-named B620, will use the same S8 chip that will drive the next smartwatches and will more closely resemble the original HomePod in terms of size and audio quality than the new HomePod small. There have even been reports that the top-tier display on the next HomePod will support multi-touch.

HomePod s8

Gurman claims that the S8 chip in the new HomePod will be identical to the S7 chip, which was identical to the S6 chip used in the 2020 Apple Watch Series 6. To put things in perspective, the current HomePod mini is powered by the S5 chip, which debuted with the Apple Watch Series 5.

Why suspended?

According to Gurman's claim from 2021, Apple canceled preparations for a direct replacement for the HomePod, which was supposed to debut in 2022. Since then, Gurman has claimed that Apple is developing new HomePod versions with a camera and a display to compete with products like the Facebook Portal and Amazon's Echo Show. However, that suddenly seems like a completely different item.

Updated version HomePod

According to recent claims made by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, an improved HomePod model is in the works at Apple and might debut in the fourth quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023. Kuo's warning that there "may not be much advancement in hardware design" between the first HomePod and the new one won't worry fans of the first HomePod.

HomePod 2017

The first HomePod, which was released in 2017, marked Apple's entry into the crowded smart speaker industry. Due to disappointing sales and to concentrate on the HomePod mini, Apple stopped making the HomePod in March 2021.

Conclusion

Gurman's most recent newsletter also said that Apple plans to release new A14-powered Apple TVs and Mac minis, as well as iPhone 14 Pro models with displays that stay on all the time.