I would buy an Apple HomePod — if it had this feature

HomePod mini at Apple event — (Image credit: Apple via YouTube)

There aren’t many Apple product lines I haven’t owned or tested. One I’ve avoided is the HomePod — meaning both the original Apple HomePod and the $99 Apple HomePod mini — which is odd, since I write about smart home devices for a living.

My hesitation with HomePod is that it doesn’t fulfill a purpose for me. I already have plenty of the best smart speakers laying around, from superb Sonos soundbars to my ever-reliable Amazon Echo Dot with Clock. When I need to speak to Siri, I summon it from my iPhone or Apple Watch.

It took me until recently to realize a HomePod with a display is the HomeKit device I’ve been waiting for. I caught sight of beautiful HomePod smart display concepts designed by Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac a few days ago, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since.

HomePod mini display — (Image credit: Parker Ortolani via 9to5Mac)

In the realistic-looking renders, Ortolani conjured up a HomePod with a circular screen. The device sits on a tilt compared to the actual HomePod mini, placing the speaker's touchscreen display in a natural light of sight.

Ortolani makes a very convincing case for the "HomePod touch," suggesting it should run a version of watchOS. It could borrow the Apple Watch's watch faces, music player and, of course, HomeKit controls. You can already make and answer phone calls using the HomePod mini, but with a display you could perhaps see contact images, volume levels and the status of the mute function.

HomePod Mini concept in lime green, light blue and hot pink — (Image credit: Parker Ortolani via 9to5Mac)

The product designer proposes expanding the exterior HomePod mini color options, too. Apple initially rolled out the HomePod mini in black and white, then added orange, yellow and blue versions during an Apple event this past October. While a hot pink HomePod might look nice alongside my pink iPad mini 6, I'm far less preoccupied with the casing details as I am with wanting a HomePod smart display.

Again, HomeKit successfully won me over. It took a few years, but it's catching up to Alexa and Google Assistant. I'm just waiting on the HomePod speaker-smart display of my dreams to give HomeKit its main character moment in my smart home.

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.