by Jason Snell
Report: Apple might ship ‘Home Hub’ in early 2025
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been reporting for some time that Apple is planning a “smart display” to be used in the home, but Tuesday he reported a remarkable level of detail:
The product has a touch interface that looks like a blend of the Apple Watch operating system and the iPhone’s recently launched StandBy mode. But the company expects most people to use their voice to interact with the device, relying on the Siri digital assistant and Apple Intelligence. The hardware was designed around App Intents, a system that lets AI precisely control applications and tasks, which is set to debut in the coming months.
Gurman says that there will be no third-party App Store at launch, but the use of App Intents strongly suggests to me that one will come down the road, since the features of App Intents with third-party apps should dramatically increase the usability of Apple Intelligence.
His report says the product could launch as early as March, and includes optional attachments including a base with included speakers, which would make it more like the “HomePod with a screen” that many of us have been expecting. In some ways, making it modular seems unlike Apple, but it would allow the product to cover many different use cases, including a home that’s already got plenty of speakers to play audio through.
This kind of product has seemed like a no-brainer for Apple for some time, since it’s largely built out of features and functionality Apple is already shipping, or is about to ship. It seems like Apple Intelligence is the feature that is finally putting it over the top.