What They Say
Apple is planning a new box that would combine the functions of the Apple TV STB and Homepod smart speaker and add a camera to enable videoconferencing with a connected TV, according to Bloomberg. The firm is said to have moved both devices to use the same OS and in 2020 combined the development teams.
Apple is also said to be evaluating whether it is worth developing a smart speaker with a display to compete with products like the Amazon Show. The article quotes Strategy Analytics as reporting that Apple has just 2% of the streaming device market and has had less than 10% of the smart speaker market for most of the time since the Homepod was launched.
What We Think
I can see some logic in combining these functions. The voice functions of the speaker could combine well with the STB control. Apple seems surprisingly happy to see these as ‘defensive’ products rather than really driving their features and performance. The Apple TV box is now three years old. (BR)
The Amazon Echo Show
