Apple has several new smart home products in development, and with rumors about the initial low-cost smart home control device ramping up over the past few months, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has fleshed out a few new details in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter.
MacRumors concept of an iMac G4-like HomePod/smart home device
According to Gurman, the smart home device is planned to launch sometime next year and will feature a hemispherical base with a small screen positioned at an angle on the base, making it resemble the iconic G4 iMac design from two decades ago.
Following up on previous rumors that the device will include a "squarish" display, Gurman indicates the screen and overall device may be smaller than many have expected, with the screen being "about the size of two iPhones side by side."
The small size is reportedly part of Apple's effort to keep pricing down, allowing users to scatter multiple units in different rooms around the house.
The original iMac G4
As previously described, the smart home device will run a number of iPad-like apps that make sense for its intended purpose, including FaceTime, Notes, and Calendar, as well serving as a hub for smart home controls and being able to display photo and video slideshows. Gurman says it's "possible" that there will be speakers in the device's base, allowing it to serve as a HomePod-like device as well.
Beyond this initial smart home device, Gurman has previously described a more ambitious product with a larger screen mounted on a robotic arm that would be able to identify users and automatically track them as they move around a room. That higher-end product will likely retail for around $1,000 and won't launch until 2026 at the earliest.
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect.
As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes.
The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps.
In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner.
In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself.
Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed.
Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles."
If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Yes, it will be as successful as Apple Vision pro - while great on paper, lack of real world usage will just kill it with time. lol
It will be priced much less than AVP. And will appeal to people with healthy imaginations. You are correct that people who are cynical with closed minds will probably not be interested and pan it on MR. That's a tradition.
I’m not sure I see the appeal of something like this. Voice assistant products have been around for a long time now, and Apple’s own attempts at similar functionality with speakers relying on Siri have not exactly been stellar. As for Facetime, who wants to get up and go over to where this device is to do that when they can already be wherever they want and use their iPad or iPhone to do that?
The first Mac that I remember seeing in person as an adult. College bookstore. Blew me away. Ended up getting a PowerBook 12”. have an iMac g4 in my living room today. As a middle age man longing for the good ol days, I miss those hardware designs and the aqua interface.
It will be priced much less than AVP. And will appeal to people with healthy imaginations. You are correct that people who are cynical with closed minds will probably not be interested and pan it on MR. That's a tradition.
I chuckle every time I see the critics’ “lack of imagination” thrown around.
Requires imagination to see a use for it = no practical commercial use case
MacRumors concept of an 
The original iMac G4
