The pivot from Apple Car set the stage for bigger investments in the smart home, and the initial products from that shift could be launching as soon as March according to a new rumor.
Apple could release an iPad-like home hub with AI and smart home features
Apple has offered smart home options since 2014 with the launch of HomeKit. Beyond Siri integrations, HomePod, and few product category additions over the years, the company's investment in the area hasn't been as strong as some of its competitors.
That could change as soon as March with the launch of a new smart display that isn't an iPad, doesn't have an App Store, and is voice-first. This device would be a precursor to the rumored display with a robotic arm that's been rumored since Apple Car was abandoned.
According to people speaking to Bloomberg, the device would have a square-ish display, something rumored before, and would be portable with an internal battery. It would mount to anchor points set by users on the wall, in a speaker stand in the kitchen, or in a stand by the bedside.
It seems the idea is that Apple wants to sell multiple devices to a household so that they might be used as a kind of smart home accessory. It could be an AI hub with access to Siri, ChatGPT, home controls, and select notifications.
The device would have thick bezels with a camera at the top center. It could be used to make FaceTime calls in the kitchen or make conference calls in the office.
Sensors would determine how many people are in the room and how close a user is that is controlling the device. The closer the user, the more dense the information being displayed.
Rumors of a smart display have been going since HomePod first released
The rumor suggests Apple's home hub device would be priced and pitched near the sub-$300 smart displays offered by Amazon and Google. It isn't an iPad alternative, nor does it run any existing Apple operating system.
If Apple does announce the new home hub in March, it will be interesting to see how the company pitches it to users. For example, Apple could emphasize that homes with multiple devices could still use a home hub since it is a multi-user platform, unlike iPad or iPhone.
The report suggests Apple could use the market reaction to the home hub to determine if it will move forward with future products, like the future $1,000 robotic arm home hub or smart cameras. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested Apple's move to introducing smart cameras could come as soon as 2026.