Charles Martin
Apple's long-rumored Home Hub peripheral is now rumored to be debuting in the second half of 2025, and is allegedly being taken home by select Apple employees for real-world testing.
Various rumors have suggested that Apple will be making a big push into smart home accessories across the second half of 2025, including the existing Home Key feature for a future smart doorbell. Apple is also working with other manufacturers of smart home accessories to ensure HomeKit compatibility.
A new report from Bloomberg reiterates earlier claims that Apple intends to tie the rise of HomeKit accessories into a smart Home Hub, now with a device code name: J490.
The long-rumored accessory is now likely to wait for its debut until the June WWDC developer conference or later to be officially announced. This may coincide with the existing tvOS changing to become the basis of a future homeOS.
In part, this could be due to the recently-announced delay in Siri development — now expected to be a bigger part of iOS and iPadOS 19 along with the next version of macOS, rather than later in the iOS 18 cycle as previously expected.
Testing on the product continues, however. The new report claims that Apple has begun internal testing on the device, including letting select employees take it home and provide feedback.
Apple Home Hub predictions
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously claimed that the product will enter mass production in the second half of 2025, likely aiming for a holiday-season debut. The Home Hub is thought to include a camera for FaceTime calls, as well as a high-quality speaker.
To complement the device, Apple may release its own line of indoor security cameras, or partner with existing makers to ensure HomeKit compatibility with more smart home accessories. Ikea, for example, recently filed for FCC clearance on its first Matter-over-Thread supporting temperature and humidity sensor, which would work with its compatible Dirigera hub.
A potential future Apple home robot. Image credit: Apple Machine Learning ResearchCurrently, there are thought to be two versions of the unannounced Apple Home Hub. This includes the iPad-like device that could be wall-mounted or act as a HomePod audio device with display, and a future Luxo-like robotic arm meant as a tabletop device that could "follow" a user's movements during a video call, similar to the CenterStage feature.
These future hardware products would tie in deeply with family members' personal Apple devices, offering coordination between Contacts, Calendar, Reminders and other apps. According to rumors, Apple's intent is to offer the mountable Home Hub as a lower-cost device, with a later robotic assistant as a more expensive and advanced option.
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Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
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William Gallagher
15 Comments
Someone on Facebook said it best...this device will be a smaller, less capable iPad with a speaker using an outdated old CPU. That is Apple's usual strategy with the HomePod device, which has not been a big seller. People already use their iPads or iPhones for home automation, assuming they actually use HomeKit devices. Most don't. No one wants to try and look at a small iPad from across the room.
Personally I think the idea of a fixed tablet makes zero sense for today's consumer. No one wants to get up to go look at a screen. They want to do everything from their phones (or possibly an Apple Watch) since that's realistically those are the only two devices they are going to carry around with them throughout the house.
The most plausible Home Hub hardware device would be some sort of dual- or multi-function MagSafe-equipped smart charging stand that would be controlled by a software interface primarily from their phones.
A device with HomePod-like features would be okay but again but voice control only works within normal speaking distance.
One thing for sure that this Home Hub device would have to conquer would be effortless device configuration. It needs to "just work" rather going through complicated, unreliable, convoluted pairing procedures. That's like 95% software.
Also devices like iPhones and Apple Watches can indicate where the person is (living room, den, bedroom, garage, laundry room, etc.) and possibly adjust connected devices appropriately. If I need to walk up to a touchpanel to dim the lights upon leaving a room, hell, it's easier to just hit a physical light switch.
We've seen consumers push back on full touchscreen interfaces in automobiles and a return of certain physical controls (like cabin climate control). It's way easier to just turn on/off the bedside lamp by hitting a switch rather than hunt around some screen for the button that turns off that light or use voice commands which might disturb other occupants.
And speaking of software it's clear that a Home Hub device will work better if it interfaces with a Siri implementation that isn't as dumb as a rock. That means that Apple really needs to release a context-aware version of Siri with Apple Intelligence with meaningful accuracy and reliability before they will have anything really useful in a Home Hub.
Releasing any sort of Home Hub device with Siri's current capabilities will not help adoption. This is one of those types of new devices that I will not be an early adopter of. I will probably wait 5+ years before thinking about having some sort of smart home hub. I'm sure Apple has prototype hardware in its labs. It's the software that is key.
Based on what I've seen in Apple Intelligence in March 2025, I think we are still 3+ years away from having an Apple Intelligence that will make the smart home viable.
I’m thinking we’re past peak Apple. Sold 30% of my AAPL holdings the day after the 16 e-waste was announced and rumors like this give me confidence it was the right decision at the right time. If these things are announced as products, I’ll probably sell off the rest.
Meanwhile I am still waiting for the AppleTV to be brought up to speed and have some Home things integrated to it in a serious way. And a better integration with HomePod and or HomePod mini.
I don't particularly feel the need for another device, especially now that iPad is so "cheap" I can use it as a spare tablet at home for most of the uses that seem to be integrated in the new device.
I gave a basic iPad on a wall mount for Home control by anyone in the house, so why do I need a HomePad???