Apple reportedly planning an Apple TV combined with a HomePod & FaceTime camera

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Apple TV (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a new Apple TV with an integrated speaker and camera.
  • The device would allow FaceTime calls to be made via a connected TV.

Apple is reportedly working on building a new Apple TV that not only has elements of a HomePod built in, but also includes a FaceTime camera for making video calls using a connected TV.

The device, says Bloomberg, would "represent Apple's most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date." In terms of functionality, the report says the device would function like an Apple TV in terms of streaming content and playing games, but with a built-in speaker similar to a HomePod. The inclusion of a camera would also bring FaceTime to the big screen for the first time, too.

The company is working on a product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

The report goes on to say that the development of the new Apple TV product is "still in the early stages" and that features could change before launch – assuming the product launches at all, of course.

Apple is thought to have a refreshed Apple TV ready to launch imminently as well, although that will no doubt be much closer to the current Apple TV 4K than the product Bloomberg is discussing here.

The aforementioned Apple TV 4K is currently the best Apple TV the company sells, although it's very much due some attention. Hopefully we'll know more about what the new Apple TV will offer sooner rather than later.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.