No one in the rumor mill knows if it can or can't
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.
Here's Why Apple's All-New Home Hub is Delayed
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's all based off reports of internal communications.
Obviously things can be delayed internally (relative to internal planned out timelines), especially if Siri is involved as it would be with this type of product.
Nobody is saying "Apple announced XYZ and now it's delayed"
Thats tough I know.
What about getting an old iPad with an old OS version? Not apple, but what about one of Amazon's fire tablets which were designed for kids.
I appreciate you saying that 🙏
The main draw for an Apple device is that they still use and are able to enjoy iMessage for photo sharing and comms w/ family and they have long term familiarity with it (huge thing w/ dementia sufferers -- "new" = not good). I think ultimately we'll be off all tech before the end of this calendar year anyhow, so it's mostly all moot I guess.
My 88 year old uncle has recently forgotten how to use the mouse ... so his Windows PC usage for old card games & Mahjong is now out. 😣 I had a SUPER stripped down and locked down build of Windows LTSC running for him.
It's a tremendous bummer to watch in real time and I don't wish it upon anyone. 😞
Last edited:
I have 0 interest in this product, but thanks for telling me what I should/shouldn't do...
When did Apple remove that? Do you have a link to the functionality Apple removed?
Instead of a hub with a display, Apple should go all in on an AI powered home automation kit. It would replace clunky solutions like IR presence sensors and hand written automations with cameras that feed directly to a locally running LLM to automate your home based on what it sees you doing. To understand the power of this model, imagine having a person following you around the house, and silently ensuring that every comfort around you is as it should be.
Apple is in a unique position to deliver this as a product because it can offer privacy on a product with glaring privacy considerations. Privacy that Google, Amazon or random Chinese companies can’t offer.
Apple is in a unique position to deliver this as a product because it can offer privacy on a product with glaring privacy considerations. Privacy that Google, Amazon or random Chinese companies can’t offer.
We should probably wait to see them prove they have a compelling offering that actually works well in this space first, wouldn't you say?
Fixing Siri, for this product or not, really needs to be a top priority for Apple.
It is simply outclassed right now.
When they made the new homekit architecture.....
Still using an iPad as a Home Hub? Bad news – Apple is about to end support for it
The latest HomeKit architecture is about to become mandatory
Yeah but all fueled by you-know-what operating system…yeah…no way no thank you.
it has the minimum RAM to do apple intelligence?? 8 GB, I believe?…
Awwww…sorry to hear that, but such is life sometimes…ya know, I’ve never heard of any research into the matter…but I have a strong hunch your peoples could truly benefit from psychotropic (?) hallucinogens…specifically psylocibin mushrooms….nature truly does provide for us…of course $$$ and big pharma screw alot of things up…but…yeah. That’s why ppl like me are born, to show the truth and light to all of humanity : )
Oh!!! And of course may I also suggest for your affected family a 100% plant based diet. Mostly fruits
: )
Hmmm following me around sounds creepy af…but it’s Apple so it’d be done in a tasteful, elegant, thoughtful and wonderful way, I’m sure.
And I’d add to your last sentence the words “and won’t” after your word “can’t” : (
Last edited:
Rumored Apple things are often delayed because they are rumors without a timeline set by Apple.
The new HomeKit architecture introduced in iOS 16 removed the ability for an iPad to be a Home Hub, i.e. the device that actions automations, allows access away from home, etc. That means that if you don’t have an Apple TV or HomePod, you can’t do these things. All Apple devices can access and control accessories though.
I don’t agree it would be useless, just very niche. The main attraction to me is being able to see things without touching the device (there are scenarios I find myself where I am unable to use my hands and audio feedback is not enough).
Apple's New HomeKit Architecture debuted in iOS 16, nagged via a badge in iOS 18.4 and I believe will be compulsory from iOS 26 (currently in beta).
The minimum versions are iOS 16 and MacOS 13/Ventura. It also stops an iPad from being a home hub.
You can still use homekit without a home hub (I'm running iOS 26 and Tahoe without any other Apple kit) but you lose the (single?) advantage of the new architecture, which is that most commands are routed through the hub only, including getting the status of any homekit device. The hub polls them regularly and stores their status.
The minimum versions are iOS 16 and MacOS 13/Ventura. It also stops an iPad from being a home hub.
You can still use homekit without a home hub (I'm running iOS 26 and Tahoe without any other Apple kit) but you lose the (single?) advantage of the new architecture, which is that most commands are routed through the hub only, including getting the status of any homekit device. The hub polls them regularly and stores their status.
They're too late with everything Home-related. Amazon ate that market up years ago in the US.
That didn't matter in the past, but Apple has not been able to pull off their old "later but better" strategy in years with the mediocre Apple TV, HomePod, Vision, and soon to be HomeHub or whatever they'll call it. Yes go ahead and quote me and tell me how much you love those, the market clearly doesn't sweetie
That didn't matter in the past, but Apple has not been able to pull off their old "later but better" strategy in years with the mediocre Apple TV, HomePod, Vision, and soon to be HomeHub or whatever they'll call it. Yes go ahead and quote me and tell me how much you love those, the market clearly doesn't sweetie
I feel for you, dementia is a terrible disease. How I wish it didn’t exist 😕
I don’t know your relatives’ current situation, but anything new to a person suffering from dementia can be too confusing. If we only had a device, which could read user’s needs and act on them… like without touch of a button.
I’m hoping the delay (assuming that there even is a delay, and the rumors weren’t simply making up ludicrously imminent target dates to make themselves seem more relevant) is due to Apple realizing that stacking these two products creates a redundant one-trick pony
Have you looked into assistive access? This was added as a new accessibility feature in 17. I've never used it myself, but it's supposed to simplify the UI for people with cognative difficulties. I I think I read that you can also customize it for the person you are setting it up for.
I get you though. I used to have a minimal part-time job working in the activities department at a nursing home which I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. It was so sad though to see residents I'd grown attached to decline. My grandma whom I was also very close to fought a long battle with dimentia and that was hard to watch. It really is heart breaking.