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's Upcoming Smart Home Accessory Could Feature 'Squarish' Display
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Beats me. I suspect it has nothing (or very little) to do with HomeKit. Or if it does, HomeKit won't be the main focus of the product.
I just want a ChatGPT 4o type digital assistant that can look around your room with the movable display camera and carry a conversation with visual intelligence.
You do???
Friends exist., and they are better versions of what you describe.
They’re also free and auto-update themselves, tons of memory… get one before they start charging for it!
Ok make with the link to the awesome MagSafe stand!!!
Can it charge?? Why can’t it charge???
I approve, and I love the name.
Check out my iPhone Nano in my sig
And hello! fellow blue, naked, 13 mini club member! *fight club nod*
I’m currently trying to thrash my battery down to 79% from 81% so I can get one before they stop replacing them via AppleCare!
Airport Express Gen 2s still kicking baby! And sync perfectly with HomePods as well. Can’t go back to not being able to choose where my audio is routed. The room I’m in, or only on some, or in all!
Whole home AirPlay 2 audio -is- pretty ‘killer app’-y.
If it does the dishes - instant buy
Edit: to clarify, picks up the dishes and puts in dishwasher
Apple is rumored to be working on a sort of iPad-like smart display that will serve as a home hub for controlling your HomeKit and Matter devices. We've been hearing rumors about the device for the last couple of years, and now there's some new information about its potential design.
Called the "HomeAccessory" internally, the upcoming smart home device has a "squarish display," according to 9to5Mac. The square display would make the product distinct from an iPad, which has a more rectangular display. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously described the smart home hub as "iPad-like" with features adopted from the iPad, HomePod, and the Apple TV, but he's also described a separate HomePod with a screen, which seems to be simpler.
9to5Mac claims it is unclear whether the square design will make it into the final product, which also seems to have a built-in camera for FaceTime. The device includes a camera that is able to identify hand gestures from afar, and it can tell one person apart from another for personalized requests. While it can run apps and play media like the Apple TV, it will also serve as an AirPlay receiver like the HomePod.
MacRumors spotted signs of the HomeAccessory in Apple's backend code earlier this year. It is a product that is distinct from Apple's other home devices, the Apple TV and the HomePod. It seems to run a variant of tvOS much like the HomePod, and the test version we've seen described is equipped with an A18 chip, so there is a possibility that it might not be too far off from launching.
With an A18 chip or later, Apple's smart home product would be able to run Apple Intelligence features, and it would support the smarter Siri that Apple plans to introduce in 2025. Prior rumors have said that it will debut in 2025 at the earliest, and 9to5Mac says it could come next spring.
Article Link: Apple's Upcoming Smart Home Accessory Could Feature 'Squarish' Display
That’s exactly what I thought! What year was that!
On the face of it, I was intrigued. Thinking about it, though, doesn't an Apple TV do the same thing with your TV set? And doesn't the screen on your Mac, iPhone or iPad do the same thing with the HomePod? I suppose if you don't have either of those things it might be handy, if it were cheaper than the Apple TV & the HomePod mini together; otherwise it's a solution in search of a problem. And takes up more space than both together.
