Apple's New 'Hip to be Square' Home Device
Mark Gurman
Look, I want to be careful here. This could very well be one of those products you have to actually see to believe in. But this also isn't the first we're hearing about this product. Mark Gurman's report today simply follows earlier reports (including his own) and are just the most matter-of-fact yet with regard to timing and features.1 I'll get to those in a second, but continue to paint me as pretty skeptical here of the 'HomeHub' or 'FacePod' or 'HomePod Pro', or whatever they call it.2
Apple Inc., aiming to catch up with rivals in the smart home market, is nearing the launch of a new product category: a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing and use AI to navigate apps.
The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March and will position it as a command center for the home, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The product, code-named J490, also will spotlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is betting that the product can make Apple a force in the smart home segment, where the company has trailed behind Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. in recent years. He has made the device a priority for the company’s engineering and design departments, and is pushing to get it to market after more than three years of development.
The main problem with all of this, again, at least in my mind's eye, is the iPad. This sounds a lot like an iPad. Just one that can be more easily mounted (on the wall or on a stand). But it's square (also not a new bit of information). Is it square just so it doesn't look like an iPad? Or is there a purpose? It's now hip to be square?
As I've also said before, kudos in advance to Tim Cook for taking a swing here. I'm not sure an editor wouldn't have killed this off, but again, some benefit of the doubt. Marketing will be key, as is always the case, but perhaps more so here. People will need to be shown why they need this device in their lives – let alone a few of them to sprinkle around the home.
The device has a roughly 6-inch screen and looks like a square iPad. It’s about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display. There’s also a camera at the top front, a rechargeable built-in battery and internal speakers. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.
The product has a touch interface that looks like a blend of the Apple Watch operating system and the iPhone’s recently launched StandBy mode. But the company expects most people to use their voice to interact with the device, relying on the Siri digital assistant and Apple Intelligence. The hardware was designed around App Intents, a system that lets AI precisely control applications and tasks, which is set to debut in the coming months.
Out of all of that, "App Intents" is the only thing that actually piques my interest. Is that the "ferret" stuff? Something else? A device that relies on Siri sounds dangerous. Both for users and for Apple.
Apple has designed different attachments for the device, including ones that affix the screens onto walls like a classic home-security panel. There will be bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen, on a nightstand or on a desk. Apple imagines the FaceTime feature being used while cooking or for videoconferencing during work meetings.
So, it's a square iPad with Apple-made mounts for different "scenes"? How much will these cost? How many of these devices are you supposed to buy?
A person familiar with its development said the product is designed to bring Siri and Apple Intelligence to life in a way that hasn’t happened before. Last month, the company rolled out a limited set of Apple Intelligence features for iPhones, iPads and Macs. More advanced capabilities — like generative AI for images and an integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT — are coming in December.
The screen device, which runs a new operating system code-named Pebble, will include sensors to determine how close a person is. It will then automatically adjust its features depending on the distance. For example, if users are several feet away, it might show the temperature. As they approach, the interface can switch to a panel for adjusting the home thermostat.
Clearly, this is the also-previously-rumored 'homeOS'. And it sounds like an Apple Watch/StandBy Mode hybrid. Which is to say, more widget-based. That's fine. But again, why can't an iPad just run this? I hate to be a hater – and I'm the guy who years ago was begging for a 'FacePod' – but on paper, in 2024, this is confusing. It sounds like a hundred different things. Optionality is fine but there need to be a few really core features here. And I'm just not sold that being a smart home hub is enough. Is living room FaceTime? Maybe, but again, an iPad – or iPhone (!) can and does do that already! What's this market?
I've been trying to talk myself into this. Few people are more wedded to Apple's ecosystem than me. I will undoubtedly work to try to slot whatever this is into my life. But most such things are obvious to me – even when they're just rumored. This feels more like throwing something out there. Apple has done that before, notably with the hobby that was (and sort of remains) Apple TV. And if this can help them work towards a robotic version of a home helper as we work towards Rosie the Robot, then sure. But the iPad exists. Why does this? Is that the question? And if so... if so... who answers? Who answers?
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 And while the so-soon timing is a mild surprise, I did note back in April that "if Apple isn't less than a year away from shipping a 'FacePod', something is up." Oooooh -- that could be a "Bingo!"
2 All just guesses, of course. While I've long been on the 'FacePod' train, it's too weird. 'HomePod Pro' would make more sense if this was more of a speaker. 'HomeHub' might be too bland, but I can see it.