There have been numerous rumors over the past few years about Apple working on various Apple TV and HomePod hybrid touchscreen devices, and new revelations in the tvOS 18 update further hint at the developments Apple is making in the home space.
A unique touch interface is said to have been found buried in tvOS 18 beta 3 by 9to5Mac, and the discovery is actually relevant to the HomePod because the HomePod software is a fork of the tvOS software. The interface is called “PlasterBoard” internally, and PlasterBoard is consistent with the naming of other Apple interfaces, which include SpringBoard for iOS and iPadOS, PineBoard for tvOS, SoundBoard for HomePod, and SurfBoard for visionOS. The interface appears to only feature a lock screen with a touchscreen keyboard for entering passwords as of now, with little else revealed about it.
Apple TV doesn’t include a password lock option, and neither does HomePod because HomePod currently only supports simple control gestures. The design found in the beta looks a lot like the on-screen keyboard you see on an iPhone or iPad.
Rumors suggest that Apple is working on several home control devices, and the mix of rumors we’ve heard suggest that multiple development avenues and prototypes are being explored. There are rumors of a regular HomePod with a touchscreen display on top, a hybrid HomePod and Apple TV device with a camera, a HomePod with a screen and camera, and an iPad/HomePod sort of combo that works as a centralized home hub.
A standard HomePod with an LED touchscreen display at the top of the device could potentially be the first HomePod and display combination we see. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a HomePod with a 7-inch display will be released sometime in 2024, and prototype images have leaked.
Last week, MacRumors found code referencing a device “HomeAccessory” with identifier HomeAccessory17,1. No existing HomePod or Apple TV devices use the HomeAccessory identifier, but it is similar to the AudioAccessory identifier that Apple uses internally for the HomePod. Based on the numbering, this upcoming device is equipped with the same A18 chip that we expect to see in the iPhone 16 lineup.
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