Apple has an ecosystem of products, each of which has its own operating system. On iPhone, iOS. On Apple Watch, watchOS. On a Mac, macOS. On Apple TV, TVOS And on iPad, iPadOS. However, there is now a new “crossover” between the Apple TV and the iPad, in which the latest generation iPad mini is compatible with the Apple TV box operating system. Here’s why.
In the product equation, we have to add one more thing: the HomePod. Apple’s smart speaker ecosystem has been revived after a period of silence following the presentation of the second generation. However, how are the HomePod, iPod mini, and Apple TV similar?
There are not three products, it is one
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, he sold it to us as a web browser, a music player, and a telephone. All these are combined in one device. In this case, Apple started with the union of the iPad mini and Apple TV, and then combined it with the HomePod.
Therefore, we are not talking about a multimedia device that controls connected components, a tablet or a separate speaker. We’re talking about the HomePod that connects the screenAnd its software aims to be a tvOS system, considering the current issue with HomePods and Apple TV.
Why an iPod Mini? The reason is simple: the size of the screen is the best tactile and visual interface we can have on a smart speaker, as is the case with other competing products such as the Google Nest Hub or the Amazon Echo Show.
Apple has revolutionized the iPad
So the iPad was able to boot into the TVOS system, which was previously modified by the company. This is not an official device for sale, rather it is a modification for testing.
As English-language news outlet 9to5Mac explained, “Each firmware released by Apple includes support files for different systems, indicating the devices on which the system can be installed.”
“We discovered that the tvOS 17 SDK that ships with Xcode 15 also has hidden support for the iPad mini 6,” they explain. Therefore, taking into account the inner workings of different Apple operating systems indicates that the computer installed on the Apple TV is compatible with the latest generation of iPad mini 6.
Many voices point to the path Apple is going to follow
Likewise, Bloomberg analysts Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Guo have both reported active development of a “smart device that combines the HomePod and Apple TV into a single device” in the past, they report.
“Apple engineers may have decided to run TVOS on the iPad mini to test how the interface would perform on this type of product,” they explain. With the redesign of tvOS 17.2, the change of the iPad and the lack of enough time, everything indicates that it won’t be long until we see a HomePod with an integrated screen.
In this way, we will have a new type of device that will help us control our home, thanks to Siri, the virtual assistant. In addition, having touch controls on the screen that we can directly operate will make it much easier to navigate the virtual environment, as well as more autonomy when controlling different parameters of the HomePod.
via: 9to5Mac
