Apple has long been rumored to be getting into the smart screen game, with both docks for its existing iPad and dedicated smart home devices like the Echo Show. Now, 9to5Mac has found evidence that Apple is testing exactly how it will work, with a little help from its smallest tablet.

By examining the latest tvOS 17.2 beta firmware, 9to5Mac found support files for the 8.3-inch iPad mini 6. Digging deeper, the site also discovered that the tvOS 17 SDK also supports the mini, and that several frameworks with audio calibration data have also updated their drivers for the tablet.

These are probably remnants of internal testing and not intended to be seen by anyone outside of Apple. But it does suggest that the company is using the iPad mini 6's 8.3-inch screen as a testing ground for tvOS on a possible smart screen - which is not so surprising given that HomePods use audioOS, a fork of tvOS Not surprising, since the HomePods use audioOS, a fork of tvOS.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the final unit is expected to have a smaller display, at 7 inches, but the slightly larger mini is still a It will be a good testing ground. Kuo expects the device to appear in the first half of 2024, which seems plausible given that this internal testing is underway.

But what about the iPad dock? In the same report, 9to5Mac claims to have access to a "preliminary interface" for StandBy Mode for the iPad.

For those unaware, StandBy Mode is a feature that arrived for the iPhone in iOS 17 that turns your locked iPhone into a digital clock, camera or photo frame when resting horizontally. The site claims that this feature "should be introduced in next year's iPadOS 18," and it certainly seems designed to work with the iPad dock and turn the iPad into a full-fledged smart screen.

And of course, it's not just HomePod with a screen that Apple is noodling around with. Last week, a leaker obtained a prototype that looks like a regular HomePod 2 with a small LCD screen embedded in the top. The limited interface looks more like Car Play than Nest Hub, but it is apparently something Apple is actively working on, and apps that run on tvOS, such as Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, have been adjusted to work with the new aspect ratio

In short, the new aspect ratio will be used to display the screen in a new way.

In short, 2024 could be a big year for Apple's smart home plans. And ultimately, it may be bigger than the first step toward mixed reality with Vision Pro, also coming next year.