As Bloomberg reports, Apple could be planning a smart display for controlling smart home devices and for FaceTime calls that will compete directly with the Amazon Echo Show (test) and Google Nest Hub (test) would stand. It should be based on a cheap iPad.
An iPad as a smart home hub for the wall
Video playback via streaming services should also be possible via the hub – functions that Amazon has been offering with the Echo Show devices for some time. Like the Echo Show 15, the smart display from Apple can either be set up as a home hub for HomeKit or attached to the wall using a magnetic bracket. The idea of offering this type of display with a larger screen diagonal than that available with the iPad was also discussed. Details on this are not yet known. In addition, such a smart home display from Apple should not be ready for the market until the end of 2024 at the earliest, as there have recently been delays in the development process.
Apple should develop different devices
Apple smart home device rumors are not new. Four new devices were speculated last year. One of them should be a combination of iPad or Apple TV, camera and speakers for the kitchen, the Echo Show 10 (test) should be the most similar to this thought. As part of these rumours, there has also been speculation about the 2nd generation HomePod that Apple unveiled yesterday. With its new temperature and humidity sensor, which is now also being released for the HomePod mini, it does not seem unreasonable that Apple is preparing further innovations in this area.
New Apple TV 4K planned for 2024
The 3rd generation of the Apple TV 4K was released in October 2022, and there are already rumors about the successor, the to be launched in the first half of 2024. However, major changes apart from a once again faster main processor are not to be expected for this model.