I was in college when it came out. Most were pretty excited that I knew, as students were already carrying around laptops to listen to their mp3s. Hardly anyone I knew could afford one, though.
I bought the 4th gen when I was in grad school.
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Apple's Smart Home Display to Resemble Iconic iMac G4 Design With Small Square Display
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I was in college when it came out. Most were pretty excited that I knew, as students were already carrying around laptops to listen to their mp3s. Hardly anyone I knew could afford one, though.
I bought the 4th gen when I was in grad school.
Home Appliance Loudspeaker 9000.
Another product NOBODY asked for. Hey Siri, turn off the lights. Sorry, i cant find „off the lights“ in Apple Music. Do you want me to search google?
Right, with the mainstream the reception was very warm. But the reception among Mac enthusiastic on here at the time was not so great. So it’s a fair to compare comments on this forum now about comments on here in 2001.
Nope. I have an iPad and hardly ever use it. This would most likely sit on my kitchen counter and get daily use.
Half the time it doesn't work. 18.0.1 says updating or no response on a lot of my items and I have to use company app. I just updated to 18.1rc and things seem to work again. As long as this happens, it is not going to catch on with normal people.
Have been around since before then.
People knew there had to be something better than carrying around CDs. Same with effectively paying the music industry $12-20 per song. Clear, solvable problems. People just didn't know both would be solved by the iPod and iTMS.
A small iPad on a creepy robotic stock is a(nother) solution without any clear problem to answer. Shouldn't have to remind how "Let the developers figure it out!" worked with the Vision Pro...
Sure, I guess, but enthusiasts weren’t the one that made iPod popular, it was regular people. By the time I finished grad school, lots of people had iPods, but most of them didn’t have a Mac and just used them with their windows computer. That’s what I was doing, too.
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Actually, I think the right product would be a homekit hub with a place to set your ipad down for charging using the "Smart Connector" to provide the UI either when docked or not.
In reality, the base should also be functional as a wireless access point(and provide 2-4 RJ45 ports for upstream or downstream and a separate backbone WiFi channel).
Making a unique product only for homekit hub interaction is so old school to be laughable to be coming from the "innovator" Apple.
Yeah, my HomePod minis updated themselves to 18 (which you can’t prevent), with the effect that I can’t view or set alarms anymore from the Home app on iDevices still on 17 (which is all of them). F*ck Apple.
Starting at $299. Optional tilt and height adjustable arm for just $499 😜
I'm working on the so-called "smart home" and have been testing out several devices. I found I like the Sonoff "NS Pannel". It is exactly the size of a standard wall switch with an LCD panel the size of a smaller iPhone and two physical buttons. It also has a relay to control an AC circuit. It connects via WiFi. The device is installed inside an electrical box and replaces a normal switch and is AC powered (no battery)
I can set up any number of screens that you get to by left or right swipe but common operations are done with the two physical buttons For example the right button is "Turn off all lights and fans in master bedroom, master bath and closets, then connect motion sensor is nite-light."
THIS is the problem for Apple, smart home devices need to be PROGRAMMED for each house. I happen to have two fans, three lights, and a ceiling heater in my bath. I want to be able to turn them all off from a switch that is in another room. What is the chance of anyone else needing exactly this same function? Everyone will have their own unique requirements. But 99.9% of Apple's target customers would not be able to set up any kind of custom automation. And even fewer would be able to work with AC mains wiring and tie the AC power to the automation.
I use the avoce pannels with those software https://www.home-assistant.io/ along with Apples Siri so I can tell Siri ti "set nighttime" rather then touching the roiight button or swiping into the menu system
Here is the device link: https://www.amazon.com/SONOFF-2-Switch-Touchscreen-Temperature-Assistant/dp/B09MRZQCN2?th=1
OK, long story but my point is that "small phone size" is about right for this and I want it INSIDE the wall. not on a table. and "about $70" is the right price. Also, I absolutely do not want cords of any kind, nor do I ever want to replace a battery, So wall-mounted and connected directly to AC mains is best. Just like a conventional light switch.
I don't think Apple will ever be able to sell anything like this. They will be stuck selling what I call an "iPad on a stick"
I can set up any number of screens that you get to by left or right swipe but common operations are done with the two physical buttons For example the right button is "Turn off all lights and fans in master bedroom, master bath and closets, then connect motion sensor is nite-light."
THIS is the problem for Apple, smart home devices need to be PROGRAMMED for each house. I happen to have two fans, three lights, and a ceiling heater in my bath. I want to be able to turn them all off from a switch that is in another room. What is the chance of anyone else needing exactly this same function? Everyone will have their own unique requirements. But 99.9% of Apple's target customers would not be able to set up any kind of custom automation. And even fewer would be able to work with AC mains wiring and tie the AC power to the automation.
I use the avoce pannels with those software https://www.home-assistant.io/ along with Apples Siri so I can tell Siri ti "set nighttime" rather then touching the roiight button or swiping into the menu system
Here is the device link: https://www.amazon.com/SONOFF-2-Switch-Touchscreen-Temperature-Assistant/dp/B09MRZQCN2?th=1
OK, long story but my point is that "small phone size" is about right for this and I want it INSIDE the wall. not on a table. and "about $70" is the right price. Also, I absolutely do not want cords of any kind, nor do I ever want to replace a battery, So wall-mounted and connected directly to AC mains is best. Just like a conventional light switch.
I don't think Apple will ever be able to sell anything like this. They will be stuck selling what I call an "iPad on a stick"
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Wow, did not expect so much negativity for this product here.
I think the iMac G4 design is wonderful. I bought one a couple of years ago and it looks great in my work room.
A small home thingy like a HomePod mini and an iPad mini would be in my home ASAP, probably several of them.
I think the iMac G4 design is wonderful. I bought one a couple of years ago and it looks great in my work room.
A small home thingy like a HomePod mini and an iPad mini would be in my home ASAP, probably several of them.
I have one HomePod mini. It no longer functions as a home hub anymore since updating to iOS 18. No idea why, it just doesn’t show up as a hub. I even tried restoring it.
Works otherwise.. 🤷♂️
May we then assume that you can enlighten the rest of us unimaginative simpletons regarding what exactly we are missing about this device? What does an imaginative sort see as useful about it? What can it do better than the phones and tablets we already have? What would compel us to buy it?
This is quite interesting.
Apple dont usually release pointless products they usually have some kind of must have feature.
In this case, I dont see what a screen adds to the mix at all - at least nothing that you dont already get with standby mode on the iPhone.
It seems like this would be far better served as perhaps a HomePod mini with attached MagSafe charger which when docked with an iPhone activated standby mode.
When the iPhone itself, which is with you anyway, functions as a better home hub than this device might... then whats the point of it.
Obviously this is another Gurman 'look at me' moment as he seems to like to do on a daily basis (you arent a celebrity Mark... sorry to break it to you).
Obviously if Apple do have such a product then its USP is yet to be obvious.. but im sure in pure Apple fashion it will be revealed to the world in such a way to make you want one anyway.
Apple dont usually release pointless products they usually have some kind of must have feature.
In this case, I dont see what a screen adds to the mix at all - at least nothing that you dont already get with standby mode on the iPhone.
It seems like this would be far better served as perhaps a HomePod mini with attached MagSafe charger which when docked with an iPhone activated standby mode.
When the iPhone itself, which is with you anyway, functions as a better home hub than this device might... then whats the point of it.
Obviously this is another Gurman 'look at me' moment as he seems to like to do on a daily basis (you arent a celebrity Mark... sorry to break it to you).
Obviously if Apple do have such a product then its USP is yet to be obvious.. but im sure in pure Apple fashion it will be revealed to the world in such a way to make you want one anyway.
As usual those who aren’t the target demographic shooting it down 
Personally I’m so tired of having to rely on an Amazon Echo show which hardly integrates with any of my Apple software, products or home smart devices. I for one will be first in line for this product.
Personally I’m so tired of having to rely on an Amazon Echo show which hardly integrates with any of my Apple software, products or home smart devices. I for one will be first in line for this product.
As usual those who aren’t the target demographic shooting it down
Personally I’m so tired of having to rely on an Amazon Echo show which hardly integrates with any of my Apple software, products or home smart devices. I for one will be first in line for this product.
Who is the target demographic then because I sure don’t think it’s Joe Schmoe.
The majority don’t have any smart home devices, at all, and for the ones that do aren’t primarily using HomeKit. Leaving all that aside, let’s face it, Alexa can answer a lot more questions and do a lot more than Siri can.
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Any notion of “target demographic” aside, why are YOU using an Amazon Echo? For a lot of people the answer is that Siri stinks as an assistant when compared to Alexa. Until that is fixed, what device is used as a front end (phone, tablet, computer, speaker, other) won’t make any difference and won’t change attitudes toward what Apple is doing with this type of device.As usual those who aren’t the target demographic shooting it down
Personally I’m so tired of having to rely on an Amazon Echo show which hardly integrates with any of my Apple software, products or home smart devices. I for one will be first in line for this product.
If this thing looks like a g4 iMac it’s an insta purchase for me.