HomePod is for Apple Car

Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 77

At WWDC 2017, Apple introduced the HomePod, a product that many saw as a response to Amazon’s Echo or Google Home.

Instead, I think it’s one of the first hardware building blocks of Apple Car.

To recap, I expect Apple Car to be a smart room on smart wheeels with four walls. Each corner will host both the car’s suspension as well as the audio system.

See my previous string of thoughts along these lines:

Rendering Apple Car, Part 4

This is Apple Car’s suspension

Sketching Apple Car, Part 1

This last piece featured a number or concept drawings that were the basis of later renderings.

It detailed the speaker/suspension combo:

See on the right the elements of the suspension/speaker combo. Note the induction charging base on top.

I haven’t given the speaker much though so far. Until WWDC.

Apple showed one key image in their marketing materials – the living room with one or two HomePods:

This is not your living room, it’s the interior of Apple Car.

My point is, HomePod works just as well (or better) in Apple Car than in any living room (because the dimensions of Apple Car will be known to the speaker’s A8 chip to the millimeter).

Imagine the picture above to show the interior of Apple Car: A couch, a nice table, a cosy rug, and yes a beautiful lamp.

This is what Apple Car will feel like.