Apple is preparing to charge back into the smart home market with a new smart display, scheduled to launch next year. This was revealed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who in his newsletter “Power On” reveals the details of this device and its dedicated operating system, “homeOS”. According to Gurman, the display will be equipped with a new operating system based on tvOS, the same one that powers Apple TV and HomePods. homeOS will integrate apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home, offering a user experience familiar to Apple users.
The device, which according to rumors could be equipped with magnets for wall mounting, will also support Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new artificial intelligence platform, absent in the current HomePods. Rumors about a possible Apple smart display have been circulating for some time. There was talk of a HomePod with an integrated screen, but also of a display connected to a robotic arm capable of following the user during video calls. Recently, new rumors have emerged about a square-shaped device, controllable with remote hand gestures.
References to the device and homeOS have also been found in the code of some Apple software. This new smart display seems like a more concrete and realistic idea than the robotic display concept. It could also prove more practical and economical than using an iPad as a control center for your smart home, an option that has proven less than effective.