A reference to “homeOS” was just lately present in an Apple job itemizing, suggesting that the corporate could have plans to vary the way it classifies and presents the software program working on units just like the HomePod mini sooner or later.
Twitter consumer Javier Lacort found the terminology in an Apple Music-related job itemizing and posted a screenshot to Twitter. “You may get to work with system engineers throughout Apple, studying the inner-workings of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and homeOS,” the posting reads. “The Apple Music Frameworks workforce owns the expertise stack that allows the system-integrated Apple Music expertise on all of our cell platforms: iOS, watchOS, and homeOS,” it provides shortly afterward.
The job listing appeared to later be up to date to say “HomePod” as a substitute of “homeOS” within the first case and “tvOS” as a substitute of “homeOS” within the second case.
At present, the software program working on the HomePod mini has no public-facing identify, although it seems to be a variant of tvOS, which itself is a variant of iOS. It is doable, after all, that Apple merely refers back to the working system for HomePods as “homeOS” internally and unofficially, and the creator of this job itemizing merely let that casual terminology slip.
However the potential leak is extra intriguing partly due to a current Bloomberg report claiming that Apple plans to additional increase its good house efforts and that Cupertino is working on one or more products that mix a few of the options of the Apple TV 4K and the HomePod. For instance, Bloomberg’s sources stated that Apple is engaged on a house theater sound bar that makes use of expertise seen within the HomePod however which may act as an Apple TV as properly, giving customers entry to numerous streaming video apps, in addition to Apple Music, Apple Health+, and Apple Arcade content material.
Ought to these plans come to fruition, homeOS may act as a reputation for a unified working system from the HomePod, Apple TV, and new good house merchandise that Apple plans to introduce sooner or later. It may very well be nearer to an iPadOS-like rebranding than a wholly new working system, although.
Apple’s annual developer convention, WWDC, kicks off this coming Monday. That is the probably time and place for an announcement if homeOS does develop into a user- or developer-facing product.
