Apple is reportedly working on a new product designed to function as a wall-mounted display, according to a Bloomberg report that cites sources familiar with the company’s plans. The display is expected to offer smart home device controls, along with support for voice commands using Siri and Apple Intelligence. Apple’s next product will reportedly offer support for making and receiving video calls. The product has reportedly been in development for three years and is expected to debut in the coming months.

Apple’s Wall-Mounted Display Might Not Support Third-Party Apps

According to the report, Apple’s first smart home device powered by Apple Intelligence will comprise a 6-inch display that appears to resemble two iPhone units placed next to each other. It will reportedly be equipped with a camera and built-in speakers that enable support for video calls, and it can be used with optional bases that are equipped with speakers.

Apple is also developing a new operating system for the new wall-mounted display that is codenamed “Pebble”, according to Bloomberg. It will reportedly feature a customisable home screen that shows icons for various apps, while widgets will provide information at a glance.

The first-generation smart home device, codenamed J490, is expected to feature support for the company’s applications such as Apple News, Apple Music, FaceTime, and Safari, but it is unlikely to include an App Store, as per the report.

While the wall-mounted display is expected to operate independently, it will reportedly require an iPhone to be set up. There’s no word on the hardware powering the device, but we can expect to offer performance on par with Apple’s A17 Pro chip or an M1 chip, along with 8GB of RAM.

Apple has spent over three years on developing the new wall-mounted display and the company plans to launch the device in March 2025, according to the report. It could be available in black and silver colourways.

Meanwhile, another advanced smart home device that is equipped with a robotic arm that can move a display is reportedly in development. It is unclear when Apple plans to launch this device, but it could be priced as high as $1,000 (roughly Rs. 84,400). Meanwhile, the wall-mounted display is expected to have a much lower price tag, according to the report. 

Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant is getting support for a new extension that will allow users to control their smart home appliances. The AI-powered virtual assistant for Android devices has been receiving regular extension support to perform more tasks on the device and match the performance level of the older Google Assistant. Currently, Gemini assistant can manage Google Workspace apps, Google Maps, YouTube, YouTube Music, and more. It is also rumoured to get support for calling and messaging on the lock screen.

Google Home Extension Added to Gemini

In its support pages, Google detailed the new extension for its in-house AI chatbot Gemini. Android device users with the Gemini app installed and Gemini set as the default virtual assistant can access the Google Home extension. However, users must ascertain that the Gemini app as well as the smart home devices are both connected to the same Google account.

Google said users will be able to access smart home devices such as lights, sockets, switches, air conditioning units, thermostats, fans, curtains, smart TVs, speakers, washing machines, and more. However, the extension cannot complete security device actions that require a pin, stream video feed from cameras or execute routines.

Since Gemini is an AI chatbot, it does support natural language prompts that Google Assistant cannot. For instance, users can tell the virtual assistant “Set the dining room for a romantic date night” or “Set the AC to a good temperature for sleeping”, and it can understand the requirements and complete the tasks.

To use this functionality, users should first open the Gemini app and sign into their Google account. Then they can ask it to complete a task for smart devices. The app will prompt users to connect the Gemini app to Google Home, at which point users will need to turn on the extension and give the app permission to access and control the smart devices connected with the same account.

Notably, the feature is currently available as a public preview and is available to those who have signed up for Google Home’s Public Preview programme. The feature works with both text and audio inputs but can only accept English language prompts currently. Gemini AI assistant is currently not available on iOS.