Apple has a brand new Home product—potentially called ‘HomePad’ or ‘HomePod Touch’—that’s reportedly launching this spring. And out of the many products Apple has coming in the next few months, HomePad is easily the one I want most.
My journey toward expanding my Apple Home setup
I recently moved out of a small New York City apartment and into a house in the suburbs.
A growing family and rising city prices were two big factors in the change. But that’s a story for another time.
Now that I’m in a house where I hope to stay for a long time, I’ve been very interested in upping my smart home game. I’m planning to expand the lineup of Apple Home-compatible accessories I’m using, and am excited to see if the rumored Apple-made security camera and video doorbell come to fruition.
However, there’s one Home product I want more than anything else: a ‘HomePad.’
For a quick refresher, Apple’s HomePad is expected to feature a 7-inch square display, support the new Siri and Apple Intelligence, run homeOS and Apple-made apps, have a built-in camera, and more.
The long-rumored HomePod with a screen was first detailed in depth by Mark Gurman back in November 2024. I wrote at the time that it sounded like exactly what I wanted in a home device.
That hasn’t changed. And since moving, I now keep thinking of more and more reasons why I want the HomePad.
How I plan to use the new ‘HomePad’ in my everyday life
Here’s how I’ve been imagining using the HomePad in everyday life.
Playing music will be a key feature for any HomePod-style product. And while I can do that with my existing HomePods, I can’t wait to stream music through the HomePad for one reason: lyrics.
It seems near-certain that Apple’s Music app will support showing lyrics on-screen while the HomePad is playing music.
My family members and I like to sing along with what we’re listening to, but without visible lyrics that can be hard to do. I don’t want to pull out my iPhone to find the lyrics, as that would take me out of the moment. Instead, I want those lyrics to appear passively on the HomePad, easy to glance at when I need them.
I’m also excited for Apple Photos support on the HomePad. I love the idea of a digital photo frame, but have never bought one because I don’t want to deal with manually uploading photos.
With the HomePad, I expect I’ll be able to set up a Photos screensaver or widget that cycles through some favorite memories with no action required on my part.
Top comment by Pdb
I want to see an apple doorbell and hoping it’s a step up from the current market; if there are apple peripherals I can see the HomePods value. Too much incompatibility without. Fingers crossed for POE, a slim design and speedy response times…
I also expect that the built-in HomePad camera could make a great security camera and/or baby monitor. Add in HomeKit Secure Video support, and the camera will be a compelling reason to add HomePads to several rooms of the house.
The new Siri with AI powers is another key feature I’m excited about. Siri on my current HomePods can do some basic things fine, but it still has eye-rolling flubs all the time. Having Siri work reliably, with new intelligence, and the ability to show visuals sounds wonderful.
These are just a few HomePad features I expect to use often. But there’s likely a lot more the product will be able to do. That’s why, more than any other product launching soon, I’m most excited for the HomePad.
Are you interested in getting a HomePad for your home? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
Best Apple Home accessories
- TP-Link Tapo 2K camera with HomeKit Secure Video
- Smart air purifier with Matter
- HomeKit Garage Door Opener
- HomeKit smart plug 4-pack
- ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential
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