I genuinely do not see the selling point of a product like this. The commands one can do on an iPhone or iPad are the same as this rumored device. I very rarely are without my phone, therefore I can control the smart home products I need to control. In the case of the “Home Hub” I would be required to neglect pulling my phone up and walking over to an area where the “Home Hub” would be located.
I could see a use case for a “Home Hub” in a kitchen where touching a iPhone or iPad wouldn’t be ideal due to unclean hands or stirring, to set a timer or read a recipe, but other than that, what is the TRUE point of this, “Home Hub”? Even when my iPhone is charging it is conveniently accessible. This device seems more and more like a simple money grab for Apple diehards who demand a “new” product, eventhough it the devices they already own can, reportedly, do MORE. “You can attach the “Home Hub” to a wall, TO FACETIME, who needs an iPad?”