Siri will get a much-needed, generative-AI boost with the arrival of Apple Intelligence later this year, but what happened to the HomePod?
While Apple saw fit to demonstrate Siri’s upcoming AI abilities on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, there was no mention of the revamped Siri coming to the HomePod smart speaker—odd, given that the HomePod is to Siri what Amazon’s Echo speaker is to Alexa.
The HomePod did get some updates during Apple’s WWDC parade, including a SharePlay feature that lets family, friends, or anyone else queue up tracks on the speaker.
But the HomePod was ignored when it came to Apple’s big AI announcements. What gives?
Here are four possible explanations for the glaring omission.
The HomePod’s processor can’t handle Apple Intelligence
Apple’s hardware requirements for the newly supercharged Siri seem pretty high. For example, only the latest iPhone 15 Pro models will work with Apple Intelligence (it’s safe to say the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro handsets will too), while Macs and iPads will require Apple Silicon (meaning the M1 chip or better).
The second-generation HomePod, however, runs on the S7, the same processor that powers the two-year-old Apple Watch Series 7. If an iPhone 14 Pro and its A16 Bionic chip can’t handle Apple Intelligence, it’s a safe bet the second-gen HomePod and its lowly S7 processor couldn’t.
The processing deficit is even more dire for the HomePod mini, which makes do with the same SE chip from the Apple Watch SE.
Apple won’t do a cloud-only version of Apple Intelligence (yet)
OK, so the puny processors in the HomePod and HomePod mini aren’t enough to power Apple Intelligence. So how about just letting HomePod speakers rely on the cloud for the revamped Siri?
After all, Apple made a big deal of Private Cloud Compute, its “groundbreaking” technology that allows iPhones, Macs, and iPads to offload “more complex requests” to Apple Silicon-powered servers. Couldn’t the HomePod just send all its Apple Intelligence requests to the cloud via Private Cloud Compute?
That sounds reasonable, and maybe it could eventually be possible. But for now, Apple Intelligence appears to rely on local, on-device processing to keep your private details private, and that likely precludes an all-cloud version of the new Siri that could run on today’s HomePods.
Apple Intelligence doesn’t work with smart home devices (yet)
Neither Apple’s HomeKit platform nor the Home app got much love during the WWDC keynote, and both were completely shut out of any Apple Intelligence discussion. So it seems likely that once the new Siri finally makes its appearance later this year, it will still only interact with smart home devices in the most basic of ways.
Since smart home control isn’t part of Apple Intelligence—or at least, not yet—perhaps Apple chose to keep Siri’s AI enhancements off the HomePod for now, given that the smart home is so integral to the smart speaker’s functionality.
When will Apple Intelligence start working with the smart home? Probably not for awhile.
Just consider Amazon, which has demoed an AI-boosted version of Alexa that can control smart devices via natural-language voice commands; tellingly, it hasn’t arrived yet. And while Google’s Home Assistant now allows its LLM-powered voice agents to control smart gadgets, the implementation remains clunky (I’ve tried it).
So it’s reasonable to assume Apple will be doubly cautious when it comes to allowing the revemped Siri to take charge of smart home devices, especially given that Tim Cook has admitted that Apple Intelligence isn’t immune to hallucinations.
It’s just not the HomePod’s turn
It seems inevitable that an upcoming HomePod (maybe one with a screen?) will pack a processor that could handle Apple Intelligence locally, although when such a beast might arrive is an open question.
Unlike the annual parade of new iPhones, Apple seems content to allow its HomePod models to age, with the HomePod mini knocking on the door of its fourth birthday.
It also seems likely that Apple Intelligence will make the leap to smart home control, although “leap” is probably the wrong word, given Apple’s glacial pace with the Home app. “Leisurely stroll” might be more like it.
So, Apple Intelligence and the new Siri likely will make their respective ways to the HomePod—but only eventually.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.