Apple targeting March release for new wall-mounted smart display product: report

Apple is aiming to release its first Apple Intelligence-powered smart home device as early as March, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The product will take the form of “a wall-mounted display” that resembles a traditional home security panel.

Apple’s hope is that it will serve as a “command center for the home” with a combination of Apple apps, Apple Intelligence, and integration with HomeKit.

Apple’s wall-mounted smart home display with AI

The is codenamed J490, which 9to5Mac first reported in September. It will feature a square display that Bloomberg says is roughly 6 inches and “about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display.”

It will also reportedly feature a camera at the top center along with a rechargeable built-in battery and speakers. The design is centered around being attached to a wall like a “classic home-security panel” and will be available silver and black color options.

Bloomberg also reports that there will be “bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen, on a nightstand or on a desk.” The company has also developed a system that uses external sensors to detect how many people are nearby:

Apple also is working on a system that will let the home device sense how many people are nearby. That approach relies in part on external sensors that could be placed in wall outlets in the vicinity of the device, but those accessories may come later or get canceled altogether.

The product will be a standalone device, meaning it can operate almost entirely on its own. But it will require an iPhone for some tasks, including parts of the initial setup. It will also work with Apple’s Handoff feature, which lets users trigger a function on one device and then continue on their iPhone after walking away.

On the software side of things, the user interface reportedly looks like a blend of the iPhone’s StandBy mode and watchOS. Apple’s belief, however, is that most people will use Siri and Apple Intelligence features to interact with the product.

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. 

The newly designed operating system will also include a customizable home screen where users can run widgets for checking stock tickers, the weather and appointments. Or they can configure the screen to highlight key home controls. There will also be a dock for quickly launching favorite apps and an iPhone-like home screen grid of software icons.

Apple reportedly “discussed launching an app store as part of the device” but recently scrapped that plan for now. Instead, the device will run Apple’s apps like Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, and Apple News. It will also tap into HomeKit for controlling smart home devices.

Apple is also continuing its work on a higher-end smart home product that features a robotic limb to move the screen around, priced at around $1,000. This wall-mounted display, however, will cost “far less than that” and be similar to products like Amazon’s Echo Show line. Those products range in price from under $100 to $250.

Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC in June and released the first features for iPhone and Mac users last month. The company hasn’t, however, share any details about its Apple Intelligence plans for the its HomePod smart speaker.

This wall-mounted display product will focus on integrating Siri and Apple Intelligence into the home in an entirely new form factor.

“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,” Bloomberg says.

Finally, corroborating recent reporting from Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg says that Apple has “explored building its own line of smart home accessories, including an indoor security camera that could double as a baby monitor.”

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