The entry level version of Apple's rumoured smart home hub will have Siri and Apple Intelligence, it is claimed.
This version is likely to launch in March 2025 with a similar price to rivals.
We've been told that 2025 is the year of Apple smart home, and following on from yesterday's news of an Apple security camera, a new report sheds light on the much-rumoured Apple home hub. It seems that the rumoured iPad-style hub and the HomePod with a display could be slightly different versions of the same device.
The report, by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, says that Apple is working on an "AI wall tablet for home control, Siri and video calls". he also claims that it could arrive as soon as March 2025.
What to expect from Apple's smart home hub
According to Gurman's sources, the device looks rather like a square iPad and has a six-inch 1:1 display. It's roughly the size of two iPhones joined together, it is said, and has a thick bezel around the screen. There's a camera up top, internal speakers and a built-in battery so it doesn't need to be connected to the mains all the time.
The operating system is apparently a blend of watchOS and the Standby mode you get when your iPhone is left in landscape mode on its charger. However, Apple allegedly expects most of your interactions to happen via voice, and is building in both Siri and Apple Intelligence in order to handle that.
The key here is "App Intents" which, according to Gurman, is a system that "lets AI precisely control applications and tasks". That will seemingly launch in the next few months.
For once, it seems that Apple is going to price its new device aggressively. The usual people with knowledge of the matter say that while the higher-end robotic arm version, which will follow along later, will cost as much as $1,000, the display-only version for your wall will be much cheaper.
It'll be "approaching the cost of competitors' products", most likely the Echo Hub Max; that's typically £219.
