Apple Inc. announced The hardware for Apple?s new home hub, a roughly seven-inch square-shaped display, was completed nearly a year ago. The product was originally slated for a March 2025 debut, timed to coincide with a revamped version of the Siri voice assistant. But the underlying artificial intelligence software was postponed, prompting Apple to delay the hardware as well.
After scrapping launch targets in June and October, Apple is now aiming to introduce the device in spring 2026. The new Siri, currently planned for this coming March, will allow users to get answers from the web, as they would using ChatGPT or another chatbot, and have more precise control over actions inside apps. That should make it useful for a device aimed at controlling appliances, music and communications within a home.
There are two versions of the home hub. One, code-named J490, has the display mounted on a speaker base. It resembles a screen-equipped version of the HomePod mini.
The second, dubbed J491, is designed to be hung on a wall. Development of the wall-mounted version wrapped up after work on the standard tabletop model. Both devices will include a FaceTime camera and a software interface that dynamically adjusts depending on who is using it.
The software will recognise users when they approach the display, similar to the adaptive behaviour of Amazon.com?s latest Echo displays. Development began in 2023, Bloomberg News reported at the time. Apple has targeted a price of around USD 350 for the new device.
That would be about USD 50 more than the full-sized HomePod, and still far above competing products from Amazon and Alphabet?s Google. Apple?s operations teams have been exploring ways to reduce manufacturing costs in hopes of bringing the price down, either for the initial release or subsequent generations, the sources familiar with the matter said. The indoor security camera, code-named J450, is planned for release as soon as the end of next year.
Apple is also planning production for the tabletop robot, which resembles the home hub display but sits on a motorised arm capable of moving the screen around a user?s workspace or kitchen. The motor system has had engineering challenges, and the company has sought to find compelling AI uses for the device. That?s pushed out the current timeline to roughly two years from now.
Apple is targeting a price in the several-hundred-dollar range, reflecting the high cost of the robotic components and associated development costs. The initiative traces its roots to Apple?s now-shelved self-driving car project, which included a team focused on robotics. The company is also working on a robotic arm for manufacturing and has explored mobile robots similar to the Amazon Astro.
Beyond its motion capabilities and an upgraded, more conversational version of Siri, the tabletop robot will feature a roughly nine-inch display, about the size of an iPad. That will be bigger than the home hub?s screen. Both devices will use low-cost LCD panels supplied by Tianma Microelectronics, rather than Apple?s latest display technology.
