Oliver Haslam·

Apple HomePod Features 272×340 Resolution Display, 1GB RAM

Apple may not be ready to release its HomePod Siri speaker until December, but the company has already released the firmware on which the device will run.

The move was made in order to allow developers to get to grips with what the device is capable of and has allowed those poking through it to also discover one or two interesting hardware-related tidbits about the device that Apple announced during its WWDC opening keynote.

Chief amongst the information found is the fact that the HomePod features a 272×340 display that resides at the top of the device. Apple has already shown what the display is used for, and it currently shows Siri’s colors in order to confirm that the assistant is listening or formulating a response. There are also soft buttons that the display takes care of, and although that was the extent of what Apple already showed, there is certainly the possibility that the screen could be used for more things in the future. Whether developers will be able to utilize it, however, remains to be seen.

Beyond the display, we also learned that the HomePod ships with 1GB of memory onboard, similar to that which shipped in older iOS devices and again strengthening the fact that this device, while a talking speaker, has the hardware inside to be a full iOS device with all the bells and whistles that allows.

When compared with Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, the grunt afforded by the HomePod’s internals could prove vital in the coming 12 months. In fact, HomePod is confirmed to run a full iOS installation, making it into what is best described as an iPhone without the touch screen and cellular capabilities.

(Source: Avery Magnotti [Twitter])

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