New HomePod with a display could hijack the iPhone 16 launch this fall

The long-rumored HomePod with a display could finally be coming to market. According to MacRumors, “code discovered on Apple’s backend” reveals a new device identified as “HomeAccessory17,1.” The name resembles “AudioAccessory,” which Apple uses for its HomePod. MacRumors also found references to a variant of tvOS for the device, similar to what the current HomePod runs.

The “17.1” portion of the name could reference the A18 chip that may be at the heart of this device. The A18 chip is expected to debut with the iPhone 16 this fall, so that could mean that this Home Accessory 17.1 could be released at the same time. However, the same leak also uncovered several new iPads in the works along with some seemingly scrapped models, so it’s unclear whether the HomePod is imminent.

Rumors of a HomePod with a screen have run through the mill for some time now; Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in 2021 that Apple was working on such a product but the company wasn’t sure it was going to ship it. During WWDC24 last month, the HomePod was left off the list of products that could run Apple Intelligence, but that could change if the device has an A18 chip, which is capable of running AI features.

MacRumors also reported that the code they examined also had references to “AppleTV14,4” and “AppleTV14,5,” which could indicate that new versions of the Apple TV hardware are in development. The current Apple TV 4K was released in 2022.

For the latest on the possible HomePod with a screen, check out our roundup of all the latest rumors.