We’ve been hearing reports about Apple’s iPad-inspired smart home hub for a while now, with the hopes it might arrive in the early part of 2025. But we might have to wait a little longer than we’d hoped, or so says Mark Gurman at Bloomberg.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman believes Apple could still be planning to unveil the hub at some point in March, but the product's release has been delayed thanks to the device’s software. Apparently the hub’s new operating system will be “heavily tied” to a feature called App intents — which isn’t set to arrive until iOS 18.4 or iOS 19.
Unless that software is ready, Gurman says that it’s plausible Apple will make customers wait before they can actually purchase the hardware. That suggests that the device may not arrive until summer, or possibly even fall, depending on how Apple rolls out its software this year.
While Apple typically releases new products quite soon after launch, there have been occasions where this didn't happen — with the Apple Vision Pro being the most prominent recent example.
Gurman also reports the hub will have a 7-inch screen, which is only slightly larger than an iPhone 16 Pro Max. The idea here is that the device will help manage tasks around the house, run apps and let you make video calls – all pretty ordinary features on the best smart displays. Apparently the hub will also be capable of being hung on a wall, or placed on a countertop. Whether this will require a special mount or dock isn’t entirely clear yet.
According to Gurman this hub will be the precursor to two major developments at Apple after this year. The first is the launch of Apple’s more conversational Siri, which is set to compete with the likes of ChatGPT and is expected to arrive sometime in spring 2026. The other is the long-awaited launch of Apple’s smart home accessories — moving beyond simple HomePod speakers for the first time.
We’ve been hearing about the kind of smart home devices Apple may offer, including an indoor security camera and a video doorbell that uses Face ID to recognize the home’s owner. Gurman notes that these could go on sale at some point next year, but doesn’t specify when.
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