This year, Apple plans to hit hard in the home automation sector. Beyond the rumors around a new Apple TV and a new HomePod, it is the possibility of a new connected screen that is talking about it.
Among the many projects that Apple has in the pipeline for 2025: iPhone Air, new Apple Watch, AirTag 2, one stands out a little from the rest: the Made in Apple connected screen. Competing with the Nest Hub or the Amazon Echo Show, this gadget would mark the first time since the Vision Pro that Apple has launched into a new product category.
And if this “HomePad”, as some call it, already made headlines a few weeks ago, the always very well informed Mark Gurman from Bloomberg tells us a little more in his latest newsletter. Indeed, while we were potentially expecting the toy in the first months of 2025, it seems that its marketing has been postponed until the end of the year.
Launch of «homeOS»
Indeed, to properly integrate into the Apple ecosystem, the connected screen would need software bricks which should not arrive on iPhone and iPad before the release of iOS 18.4 or even iOS 19. This means that a release at the end of 2025 would be possible, potentially at the same time as the new iPhones or new Macs.
It must be said that Apple is playing big on this product and does not have the luxury of missing out. The 7-inch screen with photo module and integrated battery would not only be Apple’s first foray into the market for home automation “hubs” with screens, but also the proud representative of a new operating system nicknamed “homeOS”.
In addition to offering support for many Apple applications (including FaceTime of course), the device would also be able to run Apple Intelligence tools.
A screen then a robot?
After the very relative success of the Apple Vision Pro, the brand does not have much time to get its feet wet with a new category of products. If the hub is a much less risky bet than the augmented reality headset, it’s a safe bet that Apple would still like to return to success beyond its iPad, iPhone and Mac.
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This gadget would effectively be the first brick in a much larger ecosystem centered around home automation, which could culminate in a few years with the release of a headed “robot”.
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