There have been plenty of reports over the past few years that Apple is trying to get into the smart screen game. There has been talk of an iPad that mimics the functionality of the Pixel Tablet, which when docked becomes a Nest Hub-like device, a smart screen specifically for HomePod, and even a hybrid between Apple TV and HomePod.

However, the first physical evidence that Apple is working on a HomePod with a screen is quite different. It looks identical to the regular HomePod 2, but has a small LCD screen embedded above the speaker.

The image comes courtesy of device collector and occasional leaker Kosutami, who was previously proven right about Apple's abandonment of silicone accessories for the iPhone 15. In the photo, the HomePod can be seen running a (very faint) app called "LcdUTest."

9to5Mac confirmed to sources that this is not a hoax. The "advanced-stage prototype," codenamed B720, is real, and as expected, "LcdUTest" is an internal application used by engineers to test the display. Interestingly, the site claims that the device is "actively being worked on by Apple" and not "something the company has experimented with in the past."

The site's sources have some other interesting information about the prototype. Like other HomePods, the speaker runs a fork of tvOS called audioOS, and Apple apparently tweaked certain tvOS apps to run in different aspect ratios (something Apple TV does not need, since all TVs are aggregated to the same aspect ratio) Adjustments.

The tvOS 17 code shows evidence that Apple Music and Apple Podcasts have been rewritten for this new aspect ratio.

While the site admits that it is too early to know for sure what the interface will look like, its sources suggest that the display will show "a blurry animation based on the color of the album art when a song or podcast is playing. The source adds that the display "may also display a blurred animation based on the color of the album art when a song or podcast is playing. There are also hints that it "displays some important notifications and may answer phone calls or reply to messages."

If this HomePod ever sees the light of day, it seems more like an evolution of the current design than a full-on smart screen. After all, no one is going to spend much time standing on top of a smart speaker and looking down.

In fact, this feels more like Apple CarPlay than Nest Hub.

But this does not mean that Apple is not looking in a more general direction. Ming-Chi Kuo also predicts a HomePod with a 7-inch screen next year, and as Apple makes its big entry into the smart home in 2024, it is possible that some of the software developed for this prototype will get a second life elsewhere sufficient.