Analyst: "HomePod with display" aka "Home Hub" further this year
A well-known market observer has commented on Apple's new product category for the smart home. Despite the Siri delay, it is still planned for the fall.
HomePod with a question mark: What's next for Apple's Home division?
(Image: Generiert mit Grok durch Mac & i)
Following speculation about the postponement of new smart home hardware from Apple due to software problems with the Siri AI functions, a usually well-informed analyst has now commented on the issue. As Ming-Chi Kuo from Taiwanese investment firm TF International Securities wrote on X on Wednesday, the rollout will continue until the third quarter. He expects mass production after Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
With or without speakers?
It remains confusing that Kuo always refers to a “HomePod with display” in his statements, while other well-known rumor mongers such as Mark Gurman from Bloomberg talk about a “Home Hub”, which is more reminiscent of a scaled-down iPad. However, it is conceivable that it is one and the same piece of hardware, with the HomePod functionality being implemented via a dock with an integrated speaker, for example. At the moment, the HomePod is only equipped with colored LEDs; neither the large HomePod 2 nor the HomePod mini have a real screen. Interaction is via voice, start/stop commands and the option to change the volume using the plus and minus buttons.
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For the first time, the Home Hub will also offer Apple Intelligence, which the HomePod has so far completely lacked. Features such as video conferencing with FaceTime and messaging options are also planned. Apple is reportedly not planning an app store. The device is said to be about the same size as a larger iPhone, but possibly in a rectangular shape. It should also be possible to attach it to walls to control your smart home.
Waiting (also) for iOS 19
According to Kuo, Apple had planned to put the device into mass production in the first quarter, but then ran into “software development problems”. This is allegedly not only about Apple Intelligence, but also the HomePod interface, which is supposed to match new iOS versions – major changes are planned for iOS 19.
“This coordination is essential for the seamless integration of new products into the Apple ecosystem,” Kuo writes. This would mean that Apple will wait until September for the release, as iOS 19 will probably be available by then if the company sticks to its usual schedule. Apple recently had to concede that important new Siri functions such as context recognition will not be released for another year.
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