Will Apple Preview Its Rumored 'HomePad' at WWDC Next Week?

[MacRumors]

Apple is rumored to be working on a smart home hub that has been nicknamed the "HomePad." The device is expected to have a square iPad-like screen that can be attached to a HomePod-like speaker base, or it can be mounted on a wall.

We know, it probably won't look like this​

One question on the minds of Apple fans: will the HomePad be previewed at WWDC next week?

In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple has no major new devices ready to ship, so it appears that the HomePad will not be launching soon. However, Apple could still provide an early preview of the device at WWDC 2025, providing developers with ample time to prepare for its release.

To be clear, there are no rumors indicating that Apple does plan to preview the HomePad next week, but surprises happen sometimes.

Keep in mind that in November 2024, Gurman reported that the first-generation HomePad would not have an App Store, but Apple could still release a set of developer APIs for the device. WWDC 2025 would be a fitting moment to do that.

Apple has a long history of announcing all-new product categories many months in advance of those products launching. The original iPhone was announced in January 2007, ahead of a June 2007 release. The original Apple Watch was unveiled in September 2014, and it launched in April 2015. The original HomePod launched in February 2018, eight months after being introduced at WWDC 2017. There are many other examples.

In March, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the HomePod with a screen would enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025. If that timeframe remains accurate, then a WWDC 2025 preview really could make sense.

In addition, the upcoming iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26 updates are all rumored to feature sleek new glass-like designs, and that look will likely extend to the HomePad's software. Apple could show it all off at once.

This is all speculation, of course, and we do not want to get anyone's hopes up. WWDC 2025 is generally not expected to have any hardware announcements, but perhaps the timing might just be right for a "sleek peek" at the HomePad.

Apple's smart home hub is rumored to feature a 6-inch or 7-inch display, and an A18 chip. It would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's intercom feature between rooms in a house, and more. It might even double as a home security system with an Apple-designed camera.

Even if the HomePad is shown off at WWDC, it might not ship for many months, as Apple delayed the personalized Siri features that are expected to be core to the device. We might have to wait for those features to be ready before getting our hands on the home hub. A release by some point next year seems likely at this point.

Apple's keynote begins on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

Article Link: Will Apple Preview Its Rumored 'HomePad' at WWDC Next Week?

 

[kcwookie]

I hope not.

 

[c84216]

Since when was it nicknamed the HomePad? I’ve only ever seen it referred here as the HomePod.

Anyhow the smartphone craze has passed and the Apple Home infrastructure is direly lacking. I can’t see who this would appeal to.

 

[mereel]

HomePad? We doin’ this really?

 

[neilw]

After the Apple Intelligence fiasco this doesn't seem very likely to me.

 

[Unami]

Sure, they are going to announce it after the AI-debacle. /s

To be clear, there are no rumors indicating that Apple does plan to preview the HomePad next week, but surprises happen sometimes.

If they are explicitely no rumors - why is it on MacRumors then? Creating your own rumors and then reporting about them? 🤣

 

[ipedro]

Since when was it nicknamed the HomePad? I’ve only ever seen it referred here as the HomePod.

Anyhow the smartphone craze has passed and the Apple Home infrastructure is direly lacking. I can’t see who this would appeal to.

I started calling it HomePad last year given that it's likely to be positioned as a home device that fits in the category along with the HomePod lineup, running homeOS and will look like an iPad. Since then, I've heard other people here and on other sites refer to it as that.

This is how they'll bring Apple Intelligence to underpowered HomePods. It never made sense that a $99 HomePod mini would ever get 8GB of RAM and an advanced chip, but they also can't keep the dumb Siri experience because it's dragging down Siri's reputation, so a single HomePad (calling it!) will control your home and provide the horsepower for AI while lower powered devices like HomePod minis can be in different rooms.

Currently HomePod minis run Siri in the cloud but given how important privacy is to Apple's AI strategy, having the HomePad in your home with private data never leaving will solve that problem.

To be honest, I think Apple will come up with an entirely new name for it as it'll evolve into their home robot and will need a unique marketable name.

 

[applegeek2024]

do you really need engineer and designer for useless **** like this??

 

[arkitect]

One question on the minds of Apple fans: will the HomePad be previewed at WWDC next week?

Actually, there are several questions about Apple Inc on my mind… but this ain't one of them.

Eminently forgettable.

 

[Itsedstech]

Who wants this lol

 

[cheetabrad]

I have two of the newest HomePods and they sadly get little use outside of basic commands to turn on or off lights. And even then, they aren't always reliable. It's become habit to use my phone to airplay to them, as I don't trust Siri to play the correct music I'd like to hear.

A display attached will not fix those issues.

 

[goonie4life9]

Who wants this lol

Remember, Apple skates to where the puck will be, not where the puck is. As a tiny startup on the bleeding edge, Apple seeks to create products customers don't even know they need but fall in love with, all over again.

 

[JerryDon]

Apple is so far behind Alexa, I just don't see it working out.

 

[dustin_]

To be clear, there are no rumors indicating that Apple does plan to preview the HomePad next week.

So… what are we doing here?

 

[Unami]

I have two of the newest HomePods and they sadly get little use outside of basic commands to turn on or off lights. And even then, they aren't always reliable. It's become habit to use my phone to airplay to them, as I don't trust Siri to play the correct music I'd like to hear.

A display attached will not fix those issues.

don‘ be so harsh. with a display you could see that the speech to text understood you correctly and only after that changed it to something not even remotely close. just like on the iphone. think different.

 

[DevNull0]

Since when was it nicknamed the HomePad? I’ve only ever seen it referred here as the HomePod.

Anyhow the smartphone craze has passed and the Apple Home infrastructure is direly lacking. I can’t see who this would appeal to.

This is what I was thinking. Best Buy is full of home tech now, but nothing from Apple. This product serves no purpose. I’d rather see better integrated doorbells, cameras, switches, etc with my iPhone. Once that’s in place, they can think about a home hub for it.

Now it’s a hub that connects to nothing.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I doubt it very much, after the non appearance of " Apple Intelligence " they will be careful not to get sucked into the same situation.
With regard to the device naming discussion I believe both " Home Pad " and " Home Pod " to be wide of the mark. They will want something to differentiate it from the usual naming convention, something along the lines of " Jeeves " if anyone is as ancient as myself and remembers that far back.
Personally I would absolutely love it if they licensed Talky Toaster from the Red Dwarf series and called it the iToasty with the wake phrase "Howdy diddly do... " 😁

 

[HouseLannister]

Gurman is the one who made up this device and then told us it is delayed. Until I hear something from Ming-chi Kuo or Jeff Pu, this product does not exist.

 

[MNWildFan]

Who wants this lol

Exactly

We already have home controls across all of our devices as is, so why on earth would one need a dedicated device for it?

I get it though; they're just wanting to have one to finally complete with Google and Amazon as they have devices like this with a screen and all, but if you ask me, I don't see how something like this is going to succeed given that it's coming out years too late

 

[Ghengis LeMond]

‘Homepad, where do we live?”

“Here’s what I found on the web, Homer lived in Ancient Greece circa 1500BC and authored…….”

 

[azentropy]

Again, I'd rather see an accessory for older iPads (and maybe a scaled down iPadOS) than a whole new device. But not much $$ in that for Apple although would be better for the environment.

 

[marklemac]

I can't see the point. Siri listens to what I say. My phone is always in your pocket, my watch on my wrist. Why do I need to walk up to a device to touch the screen to get it do what m existing devices already do ?

 

[nutmac]

Who wants this lol

I am one of them.

I've seen smart home displays at my friend's and neighbor's home, and they make a good of sense in frequently occupied common areas like the kitchen and family room. Controlling smart home devices without a voice command and getting an at-a-glance information (e.g., timer, family calendar) like Apple Watches, but with a larger screen that can be shared with anyone, can be incredibly useful.

When I am home, I don't want to have a phone in my pocket. I want to put it on my charger and not bother with it.

LCDs have become a common component, even in inexpensive chargers. Apple has explored this idea with widgets, which could be adapted for "HomePad" (I really hope it won't be called that).

 

[Plerf]

Doubtful. The key to that device is smart assistant stuff and, if you haven’t noticed, Apple is flailing like a carp on the sand in and around smart assistant stuff and AI.

Apple doesn’t need another failed rollout on stuff in that space. They need to get it right even if they are very, very, very late to the party.

 

[mwinterr]

I have an iPhone and an iPad. I have the former with me most times, and it can do everything that this product would likely be able to do. Pass.