The Apple HomePod is a smart speaker designed and developed by Apple Inc. It was first released in February 2018 and features Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, which can be used to control the speaker and interact with other devices in the home. The HomePod was designed to produce high-quality audio and can adapt its sound output based on the environment it’s placed in. It also has the ability to connect with other HomePods in the home to create a multi-room audio system. In a lot of ways, the Apple HomePod is similar to the Amazon Alexa and Google Home ecosystem.
The latest news from IT Home states that Apple has obtained a technical patent for its HomePod from the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO). The patent sketch reveals that a camera has been added to the HomePod, which provides users with easier control over their smart home devices. According to the patent description, the purpose of the camera is not for video calls or security monitoring, but for facial recognition to identify the person in the room making a request to the HomePod. Based on the user’s request, the HomePod provides personalized and simplified control over their smart home devices.
Apple recognizes that remembering the names of multiple devices can be a pain point for users, and their patent aims to simplify the process by allowing users to issue commands like “turn on that light,” with the camera identifying the light that needs to be activated based on the user’s gaze. Automating this simple feature will allow the Homepod to distinguish itself from other smart speakers in the segment. Also, it is worth noting that this is still a patent, so it might be a while before Apple actually decides to incorporate this into a future HomePod.
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(Via)
