Subj : Apples HomePod hub tipped to be its biggest launch of 2025 here To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Mon Jan 27 2025 13:00:06 Apples HomePod hub tipped to be its biggest launch of 2025 here are 3 things it needs to beat Amazon and Google Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:47:04 +0000 Description: Apple will launch a smart home hub with a seven-inch display this year, a new report claims. FULL STORY ======================================================================Apples smart home hub is reportedly due to launch later this year Its not too late for Apple to set a new standard for smart home devices There are three key things Apple must do in order to succeed Theres been a lot of speculation over the past few months about Apples plans to launch a home hub that combines a display with a speaker and lets you control various smart home devices in the vicinity. According to a new report, its on track to launch this year, but there are still some key questions surrounding the product. The report comes from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman , who claims that Apples device will feature a seven-inch display that resembles a smaller and cheaper iPad. It will be used to control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks, Gurman says. That might not sound like a groundbreaking new product, and Gurman himself describes it as essentially a HomePod with a roughly 7-inch screen. Yet the reporter believes it will also be Apples most significant release of the year because it will be a step towards the company establishing itself more strongly in the smart home market. As well as that, Gurman says the device provides another platform for AI features and that Apple will follow it up with a more advanced product in a few years time. This high-end version will come with a robotic arm that will let the screen follow a user around the room. What needs to happen (Image credit: Apple / Future) Its encouraging to see Apple making moves in the smart home space, but the company has a lot of work to do in order to make its device competitive against rivals like Google and Amazon. For one thing, Apple needs to tune up its software, including HomeKit, Siri and Apple Intelligence , if its going to give users the kinds of experiences they can get from Apples competitors. Theres also a lot of talk that Apple is going to debut a tailor-made operating system called homeOS with the home hub. If thats true, this new system needs to have an intuitive, user-friendly interface to help people hit the ground running with this unfamiliar software environment. Fortunately, Apple is one of the best in the world at developing intuitive interfaces now the company just needs to make sure it doesnt drop the ball. Thirdly, its vital that the home hub launches with a competitive price. Apples philosophy is to be the best, and that often leads to it adding premium features that command a high price just look at how expensive the Vision Pro and the original HomePod were. But Apple is late to the smart home party, so it needs to ensure it releases something that is genuinely strong without putting people off with an eye-watering price tag. Its a fine line to tread, but the recently redesigned M4 Mac mini proves that it can be done. Based on the rumors, it seems likely that its price will sit somewhere between a HomePod Mini ($99 / 99 / AU$149, which it itself due to be getting a HomePod mini 2 successor this year) and a base iPad ($449 / 499 / AU$749), but that's quite a big gap. Will Apple be able to achieve all that with its home hub? Thats a question that we wont have an answer for until the dust settles. But if any company has the resources to meet that challenge, its probably Apple. You might also like Apples HomePod with a screen now rumored for 2025 release, but has the Echo Show already won that smart home race? New leak may have revealed more details about Apple's first smart display Even Apple Intelligence cant save the smart home if Apple wont fix its infuriating Home app ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-home/apples-homepod-hub-tipped-to-be-its- biggest-launch-of-2025-here-are-3-things-it-needs-to-beat-amazon-and-google --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .