If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Apple’s purported smart home hub, you may need to adjust your expectations. In a recent edition of his *Power On* newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated that the device is still “months away” from being released. This suggests that the hub may not be shipped until at least April, and possibly much later in the year.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has indicated that the device is expected to enter mass production in the latter half of 2025. This timeline raises the likelihood that the home hub could be officially announced in September or even later. Gurman previously described the hub as “Apple’s most significant release of the year,” highlighting it as a pivotal move towards a greater role in the smart home arena.
He envisions it as a “smaller and cheaper iPad,” designed to enable users to control various appliances, conduct FaceTime calls, and perform other functions. The smart home hub is anticipated to resemble a HomePod equipped with a display, likely featuring a 6-inch or 7-inch screen, an A18 chip, and support for Apple Intelligence. According to Gurman, it can be mounted on a wall or set on a tabletop base that includes a speaker.
Running on a new operating system dubbed “homeOS,” the device is expected to feature a customizable widget-focused home screen. It will leverage Siri, Apple Intelligence, and HomeKit for seamless integration. Additionally, the hub may serve as a home security system by displaying camera footage and will incorporate a built-in camera for FaceTime video calls.
Apple’s upcoming hub will position itself against competitors like Google’s Nest Hub and Amazon’s Echo Show. However, it remains unclear whether the device will be branded as a HomePod, HomePad, or perhaps under a distinctive name such as Apple Home.
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