It is rumored that Apple will launch HomePod with a 7-inch panel in 2024, and Ming-Chi Kuo names China Tianma as a beneficiary

Apple’s smart home products seem to be moving more frequently after the launch of the second-generation HomePod in January.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote earlier that Apple will launch a new HomePod product with a 7-inch panel in the first quarter of 2024, and named Chinese manufacturer Tianma Microelectronics (Tianma) as the exclusive panel supplier for this product. .

Compared with similar products, Apple’s smart home products have always been a weaker link in all product lines. Ming-Chi Kuo said that the HomePod equipped with a panel will strengthen the integration with other Apple’s own hardware products, and it will further bring about a key shift in Apple’s smart home product strategy.

Ming-Chi Kuo views Tianma’s long-term growth trend in Apple’s supply chain positively, and believes that the company is expected to follow the growth model of BYD or BOE in Apple’s supply chain in the future; in other words, Tianma will start with low-end products and gradually increase the proportion of shipments , and obtain higher-end product orders through technical capability upgrades. If Tianma’s shipments go smoothly, the next order the company will win may be panels for iPads.

(First image source: Apple)