Apple’s upcoming smart home display could feature an iMac-like base from a couple of decades ago. The smart home screen will also seemingly have a display size of about “two iPhones side by side.”
And the price could be in range for many buyers.
Apple’s first smart display might pack a small screen
Apple failed to penetrate the smart home market with the HomePod. Launched in 2018, the speaker stood out for its outstanding sound quality. But it struggled due to a high price and Siri’s limited usefulness. A few years later, Apple tried again with the HomePod mini, launching its smart speaker to a more affordable price point.
Still, Apple trails both Google and Amazon in the smart home market segment. Unlike the other two rivals, it also does not offer a smart home display. But that should change by next year, with multiple reports revealing Apple’s plans to launch a smart home display by next year.
In the latest Power On newsletter edition, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman shared more details about Apple’s upcoming smart display meant to act as a hub for controlling your smart home. Apparently, the device will have a “square display” that will “be about the size of a two iPhones side by side.” A leak from March 2023 points to the device featuring a 7-inch display.
The screen will purportedly sit on a small base, similar to the iMac G4, the “sunflower” design still beloved decades later. The base will presumably house the speakers.
An affordable price tag?
The display size suggests Apple will price the smart home display competitively. It will purportedly run a new operating system, called homeOS, and use many of the iPad’s system apps, like FaceTime, Notes, and Calendar. It will also support Apple Intelligence, with the AI and engineering teams inside the company collaborating closely on this.
Gurman claims the smart home display will launch next year.
Apple is also working on a more expensive smart home display with a larger screen on a robotic arm. It will seemingly cost around $1,000 and might launch in 2026.
