Apple’s next big bet in the smart home category could be an AI-powered magnetic smart display

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Apple is known for its ecosystem—the synergy with which all its devices work together. And this is mostly why we have seen the Cupertino-based tech giant capitalise on this by launching devices across various domains—smart speakers,wearables and even media players. Now, Apple could be looking to introduce yet another new device—a smart display, similar to an iPad with an all-new OS, in a bid to build its smart home devices portfolio. This device, as reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, could run on a new OS called homeOS, and it could be similar to Apple's tvOS, which its Apple TV devices run on.

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Apple, earlier this year, was rumoured to be working on a robotic tabletop device (expected to be $1000+), but this smart display in question could be an all-new, lower-cost device that introduces a means to control smart home devices, and perhaps even allow you to take FaceTime calls. However, Gurman also reports that the device could get Apple Intelligence features, and this is what may end up being quite interesting. This all, of course, could end up being part of the new homeOS, which will be based on tvOS. That said, this device is expected to be a collaboration between Apple's smart home and artificial intelligence divisions.

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Apple's purported iPad-like smart home display could end up running apps like Calendar, Notes and Home. Plus, Gurman says that it could also have an optimised interface to control the smart devices inside your home.

Further, the report adds that the device, at least in the prototyping stage, was presented magnetically attaching to walls and sitting on top of tabletops.

It isn't clear when we can expect the device to hit the shelves, but considering these are early-stage rumours, it could be a while before we finally see this effort towards expanding