The Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub have mad themselves at home in our homes, now it looks like Apple are set to join the crew in the first half of next year with an offspring to the HomePod speaker and iPad.

This would represent a shift in Apple’s smart home strategy, integrating with a range of other Apple products.

According to an insider, “I predict that Apple will unveil a redesigned HomePod featuring a 7-inch panel in 1H24, with Tianma as the exclusive panel supplier.”

The second-gen HomePod (below), which equips a panel, could enable tighter integration with Apple’s other hardware products, marking a significant shift in the company’s smart home strategy.

There has been word of the smart display before. The rumours have settled lately, but the recent HomePod resurgence started them up again.

A device such as this would likely have touch controls for entertainment as well as a voice-controlled smart home portal. The question now is how will Apple attack this idea from a hardware design angle.