Image: Cult of Mac
Apple’s 7-inch smart home hub may not arrive as early as initially rumored. While reports initially pointed to a late Q1 release, it could launch later in the year.
The delay is due to a key iOS 18 feature not being ready for release yet.
Apple’s smart home hub might not launch soon
Rumors have long suggested that Apple is working on a HomePod with a built-in 7-inch display. It will seemingly act as a smart home hub, enabling you to control your HomeKit and Matter-compatible devices easily.
The device will purportedly feature an A18 chip and rely on Apple Intelligence to supercharge its abilities. Early rumors pegged the smart home hub to launch in 2024. But Apple eventually delayed its release to Q1 2025 or beyond.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, in the first edition of his Power On newsletter of 2025, has provided more insight behind the purported delay in the release of Apple’s home hub.
Apparently, homeOS — the smart display’s operating system — will heavily rely on App Intents. Showcased as part of iOS 18 at WWDC24 in 2024, the feature will debut with iOS 18.4 this spring. It will gain even more capabilities with iOS 19’s release later in 2025. Due to this, Apple might also delay the launch of the smart home display.
App Intents will make Siri more powerful
App Intents will allow you to control apps using Siri. For example, you can ask the voice assistant to open a picture in the Photos app and share it with a friend over iMessage.
Gurman did not provide a clear release timeline. However, based on his report, it is safe to assume that Apple’s smart display will only launch after iOS 18.4’s release.
The smart display will pave the way for future smart home devices from Apple, including a doorbell with Face ID support.
