There have been numerous rumors about Apple working on various Apple TV and HomePod hybrid devices with a touchscreen over the past few years, and the new findings in the tvOS 18 update further show the development Apple is making in the home space.
A unique touchscreen interface was allegedly found buried in tvOS 18 beta 3 by 9 to 5 Mac, and finding is actually relevant to the HomePod because the HomePod software is a branch of the tvOS software. The interface is called “PlasterBoard” internally, and PlasterBoard is consistent with the naming for other Apple interfaces, which include SpringBoard for iOS and iPadOS, PineBoard for tvOS, SoundBoard for HomePod, and SurfBoard for visionOS. The interface appears to feature only a lock screen with a touch-based keypad for entering codes as of now, with little revealed about it.
The Apple TV doesn’t include an option to lock it with a passcode, nor does the HomePod because for now, the HomePod 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 have suggested that Apple is working on some home control devices, and the mix of rumors we’ve heard indicate that multiple development paths and prototypes are being explored. There have been rumors of a simple HomePod with a touchscreen on top, a HomePod and Apple TV hybrid device with a camera, a HomePod with a display and a camera, and some kind of iPad/HomePod combo that functions as a centralized home. center.
A standard HomePod with a touch-based LED display on 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 would launch sometime in 2024, and there have been leaked prototype images.
Last week, MacRumors found code that refers to a “Home Accessory” device with an identifier of 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 line.
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