Apple Home: Square AI display reportedly coming in early 2025
Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a new product category. According to the report, the company wants to make greater inroads into the smart home market.
The standby mode on the iPhone. Apple's Smart Display is reportedly also based on a similar interface.
Apple's anticipated smart home initiative is becoming clearer. The manufacturer is reportedly planning the market launch of a smart display in spring 2025, which will serve as the control center for a networked home and is also designed for video conferencing. Apple is relying on a square screen with a 6-inch diagonal, while the hardware is otherwise reminiscent of an iPad, as reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the project.
Smart Display with its own Apple operating system
According to the report, Apple's Smart Display is equipped with a touchscreen, webcam, speakers and microphones. It can also be operated away from a power socket thanks to an integrated battery. The smart home device can be integrated into a home in various ways using different modules. Wall mounting, as with classic control centers, is also planned.
Apple is also working on stands with additional speakers for use in the kitchen or on the bedside table, for example, according to the report. The device also uses integrated sensors to detect how close the user is and adapts the user interface accordingly.
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According to Bloomberg, the Smart Display runs a specially designed Apple operating system that is reminiscent of a mixture of watchOS and the iPhone's standby mode. According to this, widgets that display different information are likely to play a central role. The Siri voice assistance system and Apple Intelligence will therefore take on key tasks. Common Apple apps are also on board. Although a separate app store for third-party software is being discussed internally, it will probably not be available at launch.
Further smart home devices planned
The control of smart home devices via Apple's HomeKit is at the forefront of marketing alongside video chats, writes Bloomberg. However, the display will also serve as a digital picture frame and output live streams from security cameras and video doorbells, for example. According to the information, Apple is aiming for an announcement in March 2025. In terms of price, the display is positioned similarly to competitor devices such as Amazon's Echo Show and Echo Hub –, the latter of which costs around 200 euros in Germany. Apple is therefore considering launching further in-house smart home products, including a surveillance camera.
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