Apple Enters Smart Home Battle

Apple Inc., aiming to bolster its presence in the competitive smart home market, is set to launch a new product category: a wall-mounted display that serves as a command center for the home, reports Bloomberg.

The device, code-named J490, is expected to be unveiled as early as March, according to sources of Bloomberg. It will be positioned as a central hub for controlling appliances, managing videoconferencing, and navigating apps using AI.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has made this device a priority for the company's engineering and design departments, pushing for its release after more than three years of development.

The device boasts a 6-inch square iPad-like design, measuring about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display. It also features a front-facing camera, a rechargeable battery, and built-in speakers. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.

The Home Hub will be marketed as a way to control home appliances, chat with Siri, and hold intercom sessions via FaceTime. It will be pre-loaded with a variety of Apple apps, including web browsing, news updates, music playback, notes, calendar, and photo slideshow capabilities.

The device will leverage Apple's App Intents system, allowing AI to precisely control applications and tasks, which is set to debut in the coming months.

The Home Hub will compete with similar products from Amazon, such as the Echo Show and Echo Hub, as well as Google's Nest Hub. Apple is also planning a more expensive follow-up version with a robotic limb that can move the screen around, potentially priced at up to $1,000.

Apple has designed a range of attachments for the Home Hub, including wall mounts and bases with additional speakers that can be placed in various locations throughout the home.

The Home Hub will be a standalone device, but will require an iPhone for some tasks, including initial setup. It will also integrate with Apple's Handoff feature, allowing users to seamlessly transition between the Home Hub and their iPhone.

The device's operating system, code-named Pebble, will incorporate sensors to determine proximity and adjust features accordingly. For example, the display might show the temperature when users are several feet away, but switch to a thermostat control panel as they approach.

The Home Hub will also feature a customizable home screen with widgets for checking stock tickers, weather, appointments, and home controls. It will include a dock for launching favorite apps and a grid of software icons, similar to the iPhone's home screen.

Apple has considered launching an app store for the Home Hub, but has decided to exclude this feature, at least in the initial version.

The Home Hub will tap into Apple's HomeKit framework, offering compatibility with a wide range of third-party accessories, including thermostats, lights, locks, security cameras, sensors, sprinklers, fans, and more. Apple also supports HomeKit accessories with iCloud online storage plans for home security footage.

Apple is also working on a system that will allow the Home Hub to sense the number of people nearby. This approach relies on external sensors that could be placed in wall outlets, but these accessories may be released later or canceled altogether.

Apple's new project is a cross-departmental effort, spearheaded by Matt Costello's hardware engineering team and Arun Mathias's software ecosystem group. Costello and Mathias are leading the charge, with significant contributions from Apple's industrial and interface design teams.

Apple is hoping to sell multiple Home Hub units to consumers, who will place them around their homes and use them frequently.