Apple is rumored to be working on a sort of iPad-like smart display that will serve as a home hub for controlling your HomeKit and Matter devices. We've been hearing rumors about the device for the last couple of years, and now there's some new information about its potential design.
Called the "HomeAccessory" internally, the upcoming smart home device has a "squarish display," according to 9to5Mac. The square display would make the product distinct from an iPad, which has a more rectangular display. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously described the smart home hub as "iPad-like" with features adopted from the iPad, HomePod, and the Apple TV, but he's also described a separate HomePod with a screen, which seems to be simpler.
9to5Mac claims it is unclear whether the square design will make it into the final product, which also seems to have a built-in camera for FaceTime. The device includes a camera that is able to identify hand gestures from afar, and it can tell one person apart from another for personalized requests. While it can run apps and play media like the Apple TV, it will also serve as an AirPlay receiver like the HomePod.
MacRumors spotted signs of the HomeAccessory in Apple's backend code earlier this year. It is a product that is distinct from Apple's other home devices, the Apple TV and the HomePod. It seems to run a variant of tvOS much like the HomePod, and the test version we've seen described is equipped with an A18 chip, so there is a possibility that it might not be too far off from launching.
With an A18 chip or later, Apple's smart home product would be able to run Apple Intelligence features, and it would support the smarter Siri that Apple plans to introduce in 2025. Prior rumors have said that it will debut in 2025 at the earliest, and 9to5Mac says it could come next spring.
Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April.
From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now.
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone.
According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by Juli Clover
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April.
Priority Notifications
Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update.
Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far.
Redesigned Camera App
A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19.
On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017
"APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote.
Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements.
While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way.
By the time the ...
Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by Joe Rossignol
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year.
The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time.
Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected.
While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...
I would love to see this as an add on for my iPad. Just the base with a magnetic iPad holder that offers power like the Magic Keyboard. Maybe auto connect to a speaker inside the base.
