Comcast has received a patent for this smart speaker design, but will it ever be released?

Comcast has received a patent for this smart speaker design, but will it ever be released?

Comcast has received a patent for a smart speaker—with a very unusual design, to say the least (thanks to @SteveDonohue on Twitter for pointing it out). Instead of opting for the rounded shape that comes with the rounded rectangular form of the Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod mini, or even Google Nest Audio devices, a sketch shows what appears to be a speaker with a sloped top and wide base. Is. It happens.

Online records show that Comcast first applied for the patent last year, but it was not approved until April 2022. As seen in the sketch, the device has an additional button on the side of the speaker and accompanying playback controls. Small stand on the bottom.

At first glance, I'd say this device looks more like a router (minus antennas) than a smart speaker, something that I think makes sense for a company that specializes in connectivity. But as a colleague of mine said it looks like a bedpan, I can't ignore the resemblance.

Funny enough, Comcast was reportedly considering making a health-focused speaker in 2019 that monitors your bathroom habits. While it never made it into consumers' hands (or bathrooms), it should have come with sensors that tracked. How often does one get up to use the bathroom and how long does one stay there. At the time, Comcast made sure to emphasize that this was not a smart speaker. It's not entirely clear whether these two devices are related in any way, and Comcast did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment.

I'm going to do my best to reserve my judgment for now—it's still hard to tell what a smart speaker will actually look like from this sketch alone. If the device is ever released, though, I'd like to see how its design translates into a tangible speaker.