In this weekend’s Power On Newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman outlined some new details about Apple’s future smart home products. We’ll be getting two versions of a HomePod with display, and one of them will be launching as soon as next year.
According to the report, we’ll be getting a lower end smart display (codename J490), and a higher end device with a robotic arm and a larger display (codename J595). Both devices are slated to include support for Apple Intelligence, and also run a new operating system: homeOS.
The new operating system might just be branding, however, as Gurman reports that tvOS will be the basis of homeOS, and he ultimately expects the two platforms to become combined.
The lower end product described here isn’t exactly new information. We exclusively reported many new details on this product earlier this week at 9to5Mac. Some of the highlights include an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, a squarish display, a camera for FaceTime, as well as recognition for various hand gestures.
As for the higher end product with a robotic arm, Gurman expects it to cost over $1000. Both of these smart display products will help Apple introduce Apple Intelligence to the home. Currently, none of their current smart home lineup supports it, including the $299 HomePod. Gurman says that the home device hardware engineering group is collaborating closely with the artificial intelligence teams on these products.
The report also details that the lower end smart display is going to run apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home. It’ll also have an interface optimized for controlling home applications and quickly seeing information. It sounds like the home screen will be more focused on widgets, rather than apps.
Are you excited for Apple’s smart display products? Let us know in the comments.
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