Apple May Release iPad-Style Home Hub With AI, Smart Home Features
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Last updated 14 minutes ago
The pivot away from the Apple Car has set the stage for a bigger investment in the smart home, and the first products from that shift could launch as early as March, according to a new rumor.
Apple has been offering smart home options since 2014 with the launch of HomeKit. Aside from Siri integration, HomePod, and a few product category additions over the years, the company鈥檚 investment in the area hasn鈥檛 been as strong as some of its competitors.
That could change as early as March with the launch of a new smart display that isn鈥檛 an iPad, doesn鈥檛 have an App Store, and is primarily voice-based. The device would be a precursor to the supposed robotic arm display that鈥檚 been rumored since the Apple Car went away.
According to people who spoke to Bloomberg, the device will have a rumored square display and will be portable with an internal battery. It will attach to mounting points installed by users on the wall, on a speaker stand in the kitchen, or on a stand by the bed.
The idea seems to be that Apple wants to sell multiple devices per household so that they can be used as a kind of smart home accessory. It could be an AI hub with access to Siri, ChatGPT, home controls, and favorite notifications.
The device will have thick bezels with a camera in the top center. It could be used for FaceTime calls in the kitchen or conference calls in the office.
Sensors will detect how many people are in the room and how close the user is to operating the device. The closer the user, the denser the information displayed.
Rumors about a smart display have been swirling since the HomePod was first released
Rumors suggest that Apple's home hub device will be priced and offered alongside sub-$300 smart displays offered by Amazon and Google. It is not an iPad alternative and does not run on any of Apple's existing operating systems.
If Apple does announce a new home hub in March, it will be interesting to see how the company pitches it to users. For example, Apple may emphasize that homes with multiple devices can still use the home hub since it is a multi-user platform, unlike the iPad or iPhone.
The report suggests that Apple may use the market reaction to the home hub to determine whether it will move forward with future products, such as an upcoming $1,000 robotic home hub or smart cameras. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple's move to smart cameras could happen as early as 2026.
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