Apple to Unveil a Smart Home Hub Later This Year: Report

Apple is said to be working on a new product in the smart home product category. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has mentioned that Apple is gearing up to unveil a HomePod-like smart home hub with an iPad-like screen this year. It is said to come with a touch display and could allow users to control smart home accessories and connected appliances. It is expected to come with a 7-inch display with support for Apple Intelligence features. 

Smart Home Hub Could Be Apple’s Most Significant Launch of 2025

In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman revealed that Apple will unveil a new HomePod-like smart home hub with a touchscreen later this year. It is claimed to be “Apple’s most significant release of the year,” as it represents the company’s “first step toward a bigger role in the smart home.”

Gurman notes that the smart home hub will be like a smaller and cheaper iPad that lets users control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks.

Meanwhile, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had stated earlier that the new HomePod with a 6-inch to 7-inch display will enter mass production in the second half of this year. It is said to pack an A18 chip and offer support for Apple Intelligence. If launched, the purported HomePod will compete against the likes of Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub.

The upcoming model is tipped to carry a square display instead of a rectangular one. It could include a customisable lock screen with multiple clock faces. It is likely to include an in-built camera to support video conferencing apps like FaceTime. The camera may be able to recognise hand gestures.

As per Gurman, the price of Apple’s purported smart home hub will be $1,000 (roughly Rs. 83,740) or more. The company is reportedly working on a new operating system dubbed homeOS to run these devices and its existing smart home lineup including HomePod and HomePod mini. The basis for the OS is said to be tvOS.