Introduction to Apple’s Smart Home Hub

Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub may be available by the end of this year, according to a report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. The rumors about Apple’s smart home hub began circulating as early as 2022, when the product was first reportedly given the green light. However, the road to its release has been challenging since the product was expected to heavily rely on Apple Intelligence. Gurman previously reported in March that Apple had delayed the announcement of its smart home hub due to issues with upgrading Siri.

Expected Release Timeline

Gurman has updated his expected timeline for Apple’s upcoming product, stating that a lower-end version will be released "by the end of this year at the earliest." He also revealed that a more advanced version that can "move around a person’s desk on the end of a robotic arm" should be released a year or two after the basic model’s launch and is a "major priority at Apple." To meet this release window, Apple will reportedly abandon some of the "bolder features" with the robotic arm model. Gurman added that those features could be pushed back to later models instead.

Design and Features

Apple has said very little about its smart home hub, but rumors detail a design that draws from both the HomePod and iPad. It’s rumored to have a seven-inch display, a new operating system called homeOS, and a dashboard that resembles the iPhone’s StandBy mode. Apple will have to compete with existing smart home hubs like Amazon’s Echo lineup and Google’s Nest Hub, but it’s rumored that the starting price for the robotic arm version could start at $1,000.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/apples-smart-home-hub-could-reportedly-make-its-debut-later-this-year-161702487.html?src=rss