Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Smart Home Display: Everything We Know
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Tip: this edition is a fine one to buy–or borrow from a library–because it has an excellent introduction written by Christopher Hitchens and includes Animal Farm.
Animal Farm And 1984: (Authorized Orwell Edition)―A Mariner Books Classic
This edition features George Orwell's best known novels – and – with an introduction by Christopher Hitchens. In , London is a grim city where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith joins a secret revolutionary organizati...
www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Because iPads are not suitable:
- some kind of family-wide interface is needed (preferably with Face ID). With limits for guests and children
- a presence detector so the screen goes on when you approach it
- a new Home app. The current one is ugly, confusing and not designed as a dashboard
- an elegant charging solution. No dangling cables on my wall.
- and… we need an Apple designed wall mount (preferably for less than $999).
- …
Nothing too complicated. Apple could have figured this out years ago if only they realised smart homes are the future.
No one cares about this. Just bring back AirPort routers. Give us something useful. Give us the ultimate home hub device.
Last edited:
What a fine tip that is. Thank you!Tip: this edition is a fine one to buy–or borrow from a library–because it has an excellent introduction written by Christopher Hitchens and includes Animal Farm.
Animal Farm And 1984: (Authorized Orwell Edition)―A Mariner Books Classic
This edition features George Orwell's best known novels – and – with an introduction by Christopher Hitchens. In , London is a grim city where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith joins a secret revolutionary organizati...www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Can’t wait to gave a few of these dotted around the house while I wander around with my VR skiing goggles on listening to music from my two homepods…
Sorry it is pointless while siri is dumb and homekit needs an update to the update. Apple needs to get the work experience kids out and pay for some real developers.
Perhaps Apple should focus on making the Home software and apps work, and on making them user friendly. I just added two Philips Hue lights that will be used as a pair only. In the past, I was able to make the home software understand not to show the separate lights, but only some form of group. I can't find how to do this (will have to google), nor can I find out how this was done for previous lights where it has worked. The Philips Hue software made it very easy to do what I did. The home software is designed by someone who clearly doesn't think like I do.
Edit: I finally managed to do what I wanted to do
Edit: I finally managed to do what I wanted to do
Reminds me a bit of the Microsoft Surface Table / PixelSense . I remember playing checkers on at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond about 15 or so years ago. It was a huge success let me tell you ... 🤣
Nice one Apple.
Let's see:
Market another expensive redundant device, to hijack the current unreliable homekit, but this one will have subscription tiers. Yeah?
Let's see:
Market another expensive redundant device, to hijack the current unreliable homekit, but this one will have subscription tiers. Yeah?
Not sure who would want to facetime looking directly into their wall. Surprised we still haven't gotten a camera to turn our apple TV's into a a more elegant facetime device.
Apple is working on a new Home accessory that is designed to serve as a central hub for smart home management. The 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 aggregates everything that we know about the Apple Home display product that's in development.
Design
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the display is going to look similar to an iPad. In fact, he described it as akin to a low-end iPad, which suggests that it could resemble the entry-level 10th-generation iPad.
We don't know concrete details about sizing, but it would be designed to mount to walls and other objects using magnetic fasteners, so it could be positioned in the most central part of the home. A mounted design would make it more integrated into a house than something like an iPad, and it would provide a centralized spot for anyone inside the home to control HomeKit and Matter-connected products.
Right now, both HomeKit and Matter devices need to be controlled from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and each person in the home needs to be individually invited to a HomeKit setup, which can be a hassle if there are guests in the house or for quick controls when an Apple device is not handy.
Presumably, two or more of the Home displays will be able to work with one another for use in separate rooms, similar to how the HomePod and Apple TV work now.
Capabilities
In addition to being able to be used for smart home control purposes, the display could allow for streaming video and making FaceTime calls. It would have a built-in speaker, so it could also be some kind of iPad and HomePod hybrid device, which we've heard rumors about previously.
Competition
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 that allows for video calls with friends and family.
Amazon makes the Echo Show, a smart display with a speaker and a 10-inch display. It can be used for controlling smart home products, watching video, making calls, and more. Google offers the Nest Hub Max for streaming content, listening to music, and controlling products that integrate with the Google smart home system.
With almost all of Apple's major competitors offering an in-home device that is 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.
Launch Date
Apple is said to be targeting a 2024 launch date for the smart home display, but when in 2024 remains to be seen.
Article Link: Apple Smart Home Display: Everything We Know
What are you having a hard time with?
1. An entire iPad with a large touch display can be had for as little as $249.
2. Apple is not going to make a large touch display product for less than $249.
3. Therefor, Apple is not going to make a single purpose large touch display product, period.
Right and it would be flatly insane to pay $199 for a single purpose product when the software could simply run on an iPad which can be had for a couple dollars more.
That seems to apply to all Apple software. Maybe Apple should start thinking about quality and usability, instead of cost when it comes to software design.
Time as we know is a circle. Time passes, and then it begins again.
I have been given the gift to see into the future past. (Poor quotation of a certain sci-fi series).
I predict the following:
- it will be based off very old iPad hardware just like iPod touch way back when
- it will however be priced as a new iPad
- it will by design feature software restrictions that will not enable full use as an iPad, so you'll have to buy a separate tablet if you want a regular tablet. Why? Because give us you money, pleb.
- sales will be "meh" like Google Home
- either it launches and silently dies like the Pod or Apple won't launch it for the same reason.
I have been given the gift to see into the future past. (Poor quotation of a certain sci-fi series).
I predict the following:
- it will be based off very old iPad hardware just like iPod touch way back when
- it will however be priced as a new iPad
- it will by design feature software restrictions that will not enable full use as an iPad, so you'll have to buy a separate tablet if you want a regular tablet. Why? Because give us you money, pleb.
- sales will be "meh" like Google Home
- either it launches and silently dies like the Pod or Apple won't launch it for the same reason.