HomePad? Apple said to unveil AI wall tablet for home control, Siri and FaceTime calls as early as March 2025

Apple, aiming push more urgently into the smart home market, is said to be nearing the launch of a new product category: a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing and use AI to navigate apps.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March and will position it as a command center for the home, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The product, code-named J490, also will spotlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is betting that the product can make Apple a force in the smart home segment, where the company has trailed behind Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. in recent years. He has made the device a priority for the company’s engineering and design departments, and is pushing to get it to market after more than three years of development.
The device has a roughly 6-inch screen and looks like a square iPad. It’s about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display. There’s also a camera at the top front, a rechargeable built-in battery and internal speakers. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.
The product has a touch interface that looks like a blend of the Apple Watch operating system and the iPhone’s recently launched StandBy mode. But the company expects most people to use their voice to interact with the device, relying on the Siri digital assistant and Apple Intelligence. The hardware was designed around App Intents, a system that lets AI precisely control applications and tasks, which is set to debut in the coming months.
The product will be marketed as a way to control home appliances, chat with Siri, and hold intercom sessions via Apple’s FaceTime software. It will also be loaded with Apple apps, including ones for web browsing, listening to news updates and playing music. Users will be able to access their notes and calendar information, and the device can turn into a slideshow display for their photos.

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MacDailyNews Take: Gurman note that the new smart display (HomePad?) will have options to attach onto walls like a classic home-security panel or with accessory bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen or on a nightstand, table, or desk.
Somebody’s going to crack the smart home market. After years of fits and starts, it might as well finally be Apple! – MacDailyNews, October 28, 2024

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