October 10, 2024
HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

Posted July 28, 2017 at 8:52pm by iClarified
Apple recently released firmware for its upcoming HomePod device. Although it's unclear if the release was intentional, the firmware reveals some new details about the smart speaker.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith notes that the 'shell' app on HomePod is called SoundBoard. It runs a full iOS stack and its apps are prefixed with 'Air'.

Looks like the 'shell' app on HomePod is called SoundBoard. It runs a full iOS stack, unsurprisingly. Its apps are prefixed with 'Air'


…I don't know that there's much else to say about HomePod other than this. From what I can tell it's just all of iOS on a device sans screen

HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

Troughton-Smith also notes that AirMusic is coded in Swift while AirPodcasts and SoundBoard are Objective-C.

The +/- controls on the top of the HomePod are just regular LEDs and not a display. They function like this:


HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

The HomePod has VoiceOver and other accessibility features. It makes itself known to iTunes as an iPhone SE. There does not appear to be a way to install apps or extensions.

Perhaps most interestingly, the center part of the HomePod surface appears to be an LED matrix which could perhaps allow the device to display shapes/symbols.

HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

Designer Alan Miller tweets, "So the #HomePod probably has a screen like this. If it's the right density could easily show basic things like temperature & weather icons".

HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

HomePod Firmware Reveals New Details About Apple's Upcoming Smart Speaker

The HomePod is set to arrive in December. You can learn more about it here!

Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.
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Comments (5)
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Forward To The Past
Forward To The Past - July 31, 2017 at 10:01pm
If the screen looks like that relic from the 1970's, I will buy a HomePod and eat it.
D4xM4Nx
D4xM4Nx - July 29, 2017 at 8:23am
Make the center LED Matrix look like K.I.T.T., the legendary, beautiful black smart car from the fantastic 80's TV series 'Knight Rider' and I'm buying it fast :P
Sly
Sly - July 29, 2017 at 4:53am
It’s DOES have a colour matrix screen.
Sly
Sly - July 29, 2017 at 4:55am
If you visit the HomePod website, the colours are animated on the top image. It is no secret.
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - July 28, 2017 at 9:39pm
Guess that renders what some people mentioned abut the Homepod being "too little too late" and that the best is actually saved for last after all.
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