Apple’s rumored smart display could come later than originally planned
Apple is now thought to release its rumored inexpensive smart display for the connected home in the fall of 2025 instead of the spring.
Reputable supply chain Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a post on Medium that an affordable tablet-style display—also referred to as a HomePod with a screen—will be central to Apple’s renewed push into the connected home market. “The delay in production is mainly due to software development,” he wrote.
Apple could be developing other smart home devices as part of its new strategy. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple might be working on a premium tabletop device sporting built-in cameras and a display mounted on a robotic arm that would automatically rotate to follow you as you move around the room.
Another device could combine Apple TV and HomePod functionalities into a smart soundbar with audio and video streaming. Gurman also called for an iPad docking accessory that could be placed on a kitchen counter, nightstand, etc.
What we know about Apple’s rumored smart display
Kuo first reported about Apple’s efforts to create a display-equipped HomePod in March 2023. The accessory should feature a display measuring six or seven inches diagonally and run Apple’s A18 chip from the iPhone 16 series.
“Compared to the current HomePod lineup, the display-equipped HomePod will emphasize smart home functionalities more,” Kuo wrote. “It can be seen as Apple’s strategic repositioning of the HomePod product line.”
The device could be square, with a magnetically mounted display that could be detached and hung on the wall, used as a tablet and more. An Apple-branded smart display is expected to be priced aggressively, with Kuo estimating between half a million and a million units shipped in the second half of 2025.
It should mark Apple’s first smart home device with Apple Intelligence. The current versions of the Apple TV streaming box and the HomePod smart speakers don’t meet the minimum hardware requirements for Apple Intelligence, and won’t be getting those features via software updates.
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