Apple is working on a new home accessory that is designed to serve as a hub for smart home management. Tea Apple TV and the HomePod are already home hubs and almost all Apple devices can control a HomeKit setup, but Apple is designing an all-in-one home management product to make control even easier.
This guide adds everything we know about the Apple Home display product that is in development.
Design
According to Bloombergby Mark Gurmanthe screen will look similar to a iPad. In fact, he described it as similar to a lower-end iPad, suggesting it might resemble the entry-level 10th-gen iPad.
We don’t know specific details about the size, but it would be designed to be mounted on walls and other objects using magnetic fasteners, so it could be placed in the most central part of the house. A mounted design would make it more integrated into a home than something like an iPad, and would provide a centralized place for anyone within the home to control HomeKit and Matter-connected products.
At this time, both HomeKit and Matter devices must be controlled from a iphoneiPad or Mac, and each person in the household must be invited individually to a HomeKit setup, which can be a pain if there are guests in the house or for quick checks when an Apple device isn’t handy.
Presumably, two or more of the Home screens will be able to work with each other for use in separate rooms, similar to how the HomePod and Apple TV now work.
Capabilities
In addition to being able to be used for smart home control purposes, the screen could enable streaming video and make FaceTime calls. It would have a built-in speaker, so it could also be some sort of hybrid iPad and HomePod device, which we’ve heard rumors about previously.
Competence
An Apple-designed smart home management product with an integrated display would compete with other smart home devices from companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google. Facebook, for example, makes the Meta Portal, a device that can control Alexa-based products and allows you to make video calls with friends and family.
Amazon makes the Echo Show, a smart display with a speaker and a 10-inch screen. It can be used to control smart home products, watch videos, make calls, and more. Google offers Nest Hub Max to stream content, listen to music, and control products that integrate with Google’s smart home system.
With almost every major Apple competitor offering a home device that’s designed to serve as a hub for controlling smart home products and making calls, it’s not hard to imagine a similar device from Apple.
Release date
Apple is said to be aiming for a 2024 release date for the smart home display, but when that will be in 2024 remains to be seen.