Apple plans to launch AI-powered smart home display as early as March 2025, says Bloombergby Mark Gurman. The screen will measure around six inches, and while it’s similar to an iPad, it’s square rather than rectangular and features thick bezels around the edges. There’s a camera up front so you can use it for FaceTime, as well as internal speakers for playing music and a built-in rechargeable battery.
Apple will offer the hub in silver and black and will use a touchscreen interface. The operating system will look like a mix of iPhone Sleep Mode and watchOS, although it will be primarily voice-controlled. Apple plans to integrate Apple Intelligence to access apps and control smart home products, and it has been designed around App Intents, a Siri system that will be able to control apps and tasks.
Apple designed a customizable home screen with widgets that can be used to display things like the weather and upcoming appointments, a photo slideshow, or important home controls. A software dock will be available to launch applications, and multiple systems in different rooms will function as intercoms. Apple also plans to focus on security, providing alerts and images from connected smart home cameras.
The built-in sensors will be able to determine how far a person is from the device and can adjust features from there. When no one is nearby, for example, it can display the temperature, but when someone approaches, it can switch to an interface for adjusting the thermostat, much like Nest thermostats. It could also detect the number of people nearby using external sensors plugged into electrical outlets throughout the house, but Apple may or may not make these additional sensors.
In addition to offering smart home controls and FaceTiming features, the device will include several Apple apps such as Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Notes, Calendar and Photos, but there will be no dedicated App Store . Apple designs different accessories, such as a plate to attach it to the wall and a base with additional speakers to use it in a central location in the home.
Apple plans to position the smart display as a “command center”, aiming to strengthen its position in the smart home market. The smart home hub has been in development for more than three years, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has pushed engineering and design teams to prioritize the device. It will be a standalone device, but it is intended to work in concert with other Apple products and will require an iPhone for setup.
With the smart home hub, Apple is seeking to compete with Amazon and Google, which offer similar devices. Amazon offers the Echo Hub and Google offers the Nest Hub Max. Apple will likely have to price the device similarly to those products, and the Echo Hub costs $150, while the Nest Hub Max costs $230.
Although Apple has considered creating its own line of smart home accessories, such as an indoor security camera, it is not yet clear whether the company will do so. Apple could move into accessories if the smart home display is a success. Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was working on a smart home camera with wireless connectivity and deep integration with “Apple Intelligence,” with Apple planning to launch the device in 2026.
In the future, Apple plans to release a robotic version of the smart home hub that can move the screen, Gurman reports.