Apple’s HomePod Firmware Reveals More Details on Smart Speaker: Developer
iOS developer Steve Troughton Smith is back at it again, this time diving deep into Apple’s HomePod smart speaker firmware, called “AudioAccessory1,1”.
Here’s what he discovered:
- HomePod runs a full iOS stack but without a screen
- HomePod apps are prefixed with “Air”
- HomePod runs on shell app named SoundBoard
- HomePod will have Accessibility features, such as VoiceOver
- HomePod shows up as an iPhone SE in the iTunes Store, oddly enough
- No provisions for third party apps or extensions in the HomePod OS shell
- Top LED area of HomePod appears to be an 32×32 LED matrix, suggesting further functionality could come
The center part of the HomePod surface appears to be an LED matrix and not just big LEDs—could perhaps display shapes/symbols
So the #HomePod probably has a screen like this. If it's the right density could easily show basic things like temperature & weather icons
Apple’s $349 USD HomePod smart speaker is set to launch in the U.S. this December; sadly Canada is not part of the intial launch and will not see the speaker until 2018.