Maybe some of you will remember it. Shortly before the start of WWDC 2021, a job posting appeared that explicitly mentioned the term "homeOS". Judging by the latest discovery, Apple seems to be continuing to work on the unreleased home operating system.
When a job posting from Apple in June discovered , many thought that Apple would introduce "homeOS" at WWDC 2021. But that was not the case. At the time, Apple was looking for a Senior iOS Engineer for the Apple Music team. The job advertisement in full:
Job advertisements fuel speculation
You'll work with Apple systems engineers, learn the inner workings of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and homeOS, and optimize your code in ways only Apple can. Join our team and make a real difference for music lovers everywhere. The Apple Music Frameworks team owns the technology stack that enables the embedded Apple Music experience across all of our mobile platforms: iOS, watchOS, and homeOS.
Naturally, the discovery made headlines and sparked intense speculation. Shortly afterwards, Apple updated the job posting and replaced the word "homeOS" with HomePod. Now a similar job posting has surfaced that again uses the term "homeOS". This time, too, Apple is looking for an iOS engineer to work in the Apple Music team. The description explicitly contains the term "homeOS". The position, which is based in San Diego, is also advertised on the regional Apple websites - with the aforementioned "homeOS" mention.
homeOS: Will Apple combine tvOS and audioOS?
Apple currently operates two core home-based operating systems, audioOS for the HomePod and tvOS for the Apple TV. audioOS is based on tvOS—the only difference is in the name. As part of the company's longer-term strategy and future product plans, a "homeOS" operating system would help unify the company's home offerings into a single operating system. At this point, however, this is pure speculation. However, since Apple keeps using the term "homeOS," the idea is not that unrealistic. However, it is not impossible that "homeOS" is a name used internally by Apple and will never be a name for a software platform that is publicly available. (Photo by Unsplash / Jeremy Bezanger)
