Apple's long-rumored smart home hub will reportedly be revealed on October 13th. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the smart home device will be revealed alongside a new HomePod mini and an upgraded Apple TV device.
All three products are set to showcase Siri AI, Apple's overhauled AI-powered assistant. The smart home hub, a new product category for Apple, will be the centerpiece. It will reportedly feature a 6-inch display which can be mounted on a wall or sit on a countertop. The hub is “about as thick as an iPhone,†according to Gurman, and has bezels similar to older iPads.
It sounds like the hub will look a little similar to Apple's iMac G4, thanks to a round, metal base that houses speakers, microphones, and a metal arm to hold the screen up. This also allows the display to tilt, and Apple will reportedly sell a second, wall-mounted version with a thinner base underneath for the speakers and microphones.
Apple will reportedly use a USB-C power supply for its home hub, as the device doesn't have a battery inside. Gurman reports that the hub will be available in “Apple's standard gray aluminum finish.â€
It sounds like the new operating system built around Siri AI for the hub is going to lean into iPad-like apps, as Gurman reports that the Messages app has a two-panel layout. The hub will also reportedly support controlling other smart devices, video calls, music playback, photo slideshows, and intercom-style calls, with voice and facial recognition to identify users.
