Amidst news of iPhone 17 leaks, the technology rumour belt now sheds light on Apple’s new smart home device. Apple has long been rumoured to be working on a dedicated smart home device for years, with everyone expecting an iPad-like device attached to a speaker. However, new rumours now spill more beans on this much hyped smart home product and Apple is planning to release it alongside the iPhone 17.
The device, codenamed the J490, is expected to be a tablet-like device that can be docked to a speaker, similar to the Amazon Echo Show 8. The device is expected to feature a front camera for FaceTime video calls and unlike its rivals, it won’t rely on power cords for staying alive. In fact, the Apple smart home device is likely to feature an inbuilt battery so that users can carry it anywhere around the house.
In a bid to differentiate the smart home device from the iPad, Mark Gurman, who spilt the beans on Apple’s plans, says that Apple is developing a new operating system to do justice to the device. The OS will be a combination of watchOS and iOS’ Standby Mode. Apple Intelligence will be a core part of the device, thus helping Apple make its mark in a market dominated by Amazon Echo and Google Nest devices. A stronger integration with the iPhone and the rest of the Apple ecosystem should make it more convincing than Apple’s previous attempts at a smart home device.
The tablet-like device is also rumoured to rely on the Apple A18 chipset for taking care of all its chores. Apple could also be selling additional accessories like a tabletop mount speaker or a wall mount for this smart home product.
In terms of functionality, the smart home device could do almost everything that the current generation HomePod devices do and add the convenience of FaceTime calls as well as integration with Apple Photos.
Apple smart home with robotic arm also coming
Apple is also working on a bigger and more powerful version of the smart home device that apparently has a robotic arm. It remains to be seen how a smart home device can utilise a robotic arm to help the consumer. Based on Gurman’s findings, it seems that we need to wait for at least two years before Apple showcases it to the world.
