Apple is going after Google and Amazon with a new smart home competitor

Apple (AAPL) is working on a smart home device to compete with rivals Amazon (AMZN) and Google (GOOGL).

Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources familiar with Apple’s plans, reports that the iPhone maker is developing what will be a wall-mounted home “command center” that will be able to control appliances, call up Apple’s voice assistant Siri, and carry out video calls.

The product, internally known as J490, is set to be announced as soon as March, Bloomberg reports, and the company hopes it will make a splash in the smart home market.

The device will be something of a square iPad, according to Bloomberg, with an approximately 6-inch touchscreen and a thick-bordered display. It will also feature a front camera, a rechargeable built-in battery, and internal speakers, and it will come in silver and black.

Apple is reportedly expecting most people to control the device with their voice, using Siri and Apple Intelligence, Apple’s recently rolled out suite of artificial intelligence tools.

The new device will be a direct rival to established products, including Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Hub, and Google’s Nest Hub — smart home tablets that control other devices, including smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Nest.

Apple is planning to price the display similar to that of competitors, so it could be in the $150 to $230 range. A higher-end version, which will have a robot arm that can move the display, would cost about $1,000, sources told Bloomberg.

Apple Intelligence will be a particular focal point for the company as it continues to introduce new products. Last month, Apple finally rolled out Apple Intelligence for users with the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16, after weeks of delays. The AI has the ability to understand and create images and language; edit, change tone, and proofread text; and create new emojis using a typed description. Siri will also become more natural, and will allow users to access ChatGPT directly from their devices.

But the company has opted for a staggered rollout of its new AI features, with the next wave set to come out in December. This includes more powerful writing tools, visual additions to ChatGPT integration, and localized English in several countries. Apple plans to add more languages and other tools next April.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts following the company’s September quarter results that the introduction of AI to Apple’s slate of products is a transformative leap for Apple, which has had a late start in the AI race.

“Apple Intelligence marks the beginning of a new chapter for Apple innovation,” Cook said.