Apple’s HomePod smart speaker is now operating off of tvOS rather than iOS.
9to5Mac has discovered that Apple made the switch at some point between March and April, with the speaker now using the same code as tvOS rather than a modified version of iOS.
As iOS, tvOS, and watchOS are all the same software at the core, there are no significant changes to how the HomePod works as a result of this news, but it could mean that Apple adds new features in coming tvOS releases that make the HomePod a more useful device.
According to 9to5Mac, the idea for switching the HomePod over to tvOS is to save Apple work when updating each operating system.
As Apple TV and the HomePod are always-on and plugged into power at all times, Apple doesn’t need to worry about code optimizations to save power as it does on iOS, and so this could result in new innovations for the device.
It has also been suggested that iOS 14 will kill support for Apple A8 devices, like the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 4, as well as the HomePod. Rather than trying to offer backward compatibility, Apple can keep introducing updates to the HomePod as part of tvOS.
Over the past couple of years, there have been several rumors suggesting that Apple is working on a smaller version of the HomePod to compete with the likes of the Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot, each of which retail for $49 and regularly run for just $22 each.
Yesterday, a report in Bloomberg suggested that Apple was working on a new HomePod that would be half the size of the previous generation, designed to appease price-conscious consumers and give Apple a new edge in the smart speaker market, one it has struggled in.
Would you be here for a new HomePod? What features do you think Apple should introduce to make the device more competitive? Let us know on social media and check back soon for more news and rumors on the HomePod and other Apple devices as we edge closer to WWDC.