Apple and the battery-powered HomePod project

With the end of sales for Beats Pill+, Apple no longer sells rechargeable speakers. But according to what the analyst reports Mark Gurman by Bloomberg, some time ago Apple had thought of a HomePod a batterie for the smart home. And he had even prepared a prototype of the device.

Apple prepared a prototype for a battery-powered HomePod

In the latest edition of Power On, his newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple had studied a prototype of smart speaker a batteria few years ago. The device had reached the first test phase, but Apple was not fully convinced of the product and decided to shelve the project.

So much so that the analyst says he would be surprised if Apple picks up the rechargeable speaker project. For the moment, HomePod mini is the only smart speaker that Apple sells e there is no intention of disconnecting it from the socket current. The development of technology MagSafe it would suggest that Apple is ready for a world full of batteries to be recharged wirelessly. But smart speakers, for now, will still have the thread.

It therefore seems that for the moment Apple has no intention of changing its strategy. HomePod mini remains the product for the smart home on which Apple is aiming. But with the possibility of opening up more and more partners to the system Homekit to integrate new smart devices into the home.

In addition to this “announcement from the past”, Gurman confirmed the arrival for this year of the Apple AR viewer/VR, which will have a chip comparable to the M1 Pro seen in new MacBook Pros. And that will cost over $ 2,000 at launch. Furthermore, the analyst confirmed the arrival of the digital keys Apple also on Hyundai Genesis. The ability to open and close the car with Apple Wallet, using iPhone or Apple Watch, has been exclusive to BMW since 2020. But from this summer, another producer will also have this extra chance.