Apple may be secretly planning to venture into a whole new product category, and according to the latest report, a much-mulled smart home device may soon be launched before the end of this year, as per The Sun.
Speculation regarding this secret project has been going on since 2022, but a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has now indicated that Apple could be releasing its long-awaited smart home hub by the end of 2025, according to the report.
Apple is developing its first smart home hub ever, a product that will rival the likes of Amazon's Echo Show. It is said to have a 7-inch square screen, a bulky bezel, and a design that feels like a cross between a HomePod and an iPad, according to The Sun.
The device is said to use a brand new operating system named homeOS, one that will be dedicated to managing other smart home devices, along with a rechargeable battery, as per a report. It's expected to have a camera at the top and have video apps like FaceTime and may also include other Apple apps, like Apple TV, Apple Music and Photos, as per the report.
According to The Sun, Apple is also said to be planning a more advanced smart home display with a robotic arm for the future, which will have a "unique AI personality", according to The Sun.
The expected starting price of this device is anticipated to be $1,000 (£738), reported The Sun.
Apple is apparently holding back to release a significant Siri upgrade as part of its larger artificial intelligence plan, Apple Intelligence, according to The Sun. The idea is to have Siri be more contextually aware, able to interpret questions such as "What time does dad's train get in?" by pulling on a person's individual data within apps, as per the report.
But Apple confirmed in a statement to Daring Fireball, "We’ve also been working on a more personalised Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year," quoted The Sun.
This is the reason that experts speculate that the new Apple gadget could be released around the same time as the super-smart Siri later this year, reported The Sun.
According to reports, Apple is aiming to launch it by the end of 2025, though it may depend on when their updated Siri is ready, as per The Sun.
It’s expected to come with Apple’s own operating system (called homeOS), Apple apps integration, and possibly a smarter version of Siri.
