Apple is making progress developing its next entirely new product — a smart home screen — and it may be a little smaller than expected, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says in his latest “Power On” newsletter.
He says the device will have a square display and be about the size of two iPhones side by side. The screen is positioned at an angle on a small base, making it reminiscent of the circular bottom of the iMac G4 (pictured) from a couple of decades ago. It’s possible that the base will include speakers, essentially turning the device into a HomePod with a screen, Gurman says.
“The small size fits with the idea that the product will be relatively cheap and easy to have in different rooms of the home,” he adds. “ The device will run a new operating system that will include some iPad-like apps, including FaceTime, Notes and Calendar. It’s also meant to be well-suited to videos and photo slideshows. The device’s primary purpose, though, will be serving as a hub that can control various smart home accessories.”
When it launches next year, the product will purportedly be the first of two smart displays to hit the market. A higher-end device will have a larger screen controlled via a robotic limb — a format designed for higher-end videoconferencing, media playback and smart home control, Gurman says. This more upscale product, likely to be priced closer to $1,000, probably won’t hit the market before 2026, he adds.
This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.
