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Apple Gearing Up to Unveil HomePod Like Smart Home Hub Later This Year: Mark Gurman

Apple Gearing Up to Unveil HomePod-Like Smart Home Hub Later This Year: Mark Gurman

Gurman describes the smart home hub device as “Apple’s most significant release of the year” for 2025.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 27 January 2025 14:16 IST

Apple Gearing Up to Unveil HomePod-Like Smart Home Hub Later This Year: Mark Gurman

HomePod (2nd Gen) is powered by the S7 chip

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Highlights

Apple reportedly plans smart home hub launch for 2025
It is said to pack an A18 chip
Apple's smart home hub is said to come with a touch display

Apple is said to be working on a new product in the smart home product category. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has mentioned that Apple is gearing up to unveil a HomePod-like smart home hub with an iPad-like screen this year. It is said to come with a touch display and could allow users to control smart home accessories and connected appliances. It is expected to come with a 7-inch display with support for Apple Intelligence features.

Smart Home Hub Could Be Apple's Most Significant Launch of 2025

In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman revealed that Apple will unveil a new HomePod-like smart home hub with a touchscreen later this year. It is claimed to be "Apple's most significant release of the year," as it represents the company's "first step toward a bigger role in the smart home."

Gurman notes that the smart home hub will be like a smaller and cheaper iPad that lets users control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks.

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) Review

Meanwhile, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had stated earlier that the new HomePod with a 6-inch to 7-inch display will enter mass production in the second half of this year. It is said to pack an A18 chip and offer support for Apple Intelligence. If launched, the purported HomePod will compete against the likes of Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub.

The upcoming model is tipped to carry a square display instead of a rectangular one. It could include a customisable lock screen with multiple clock faces. It is likely to include an in-built camera to support video conferencing apps like FaceTime. The camera may be able to recognise hand gestures.

iPhone SE 4 Alleged Hands-on Video Showcases Design

As per Gurman, the price of Apple's purported smart home hub will be $1,000 (roughly Rs. 83,740) or more. The company is reportedly working on a new operating system dubbed homeOS to run these devices and its existing smart home lineup including HomePod and HomePod mini. The basis for the OS is said to be tvOS.

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Further reading: Apple, Mark Gurman, Smart Home Hub, Apple Smart Home Hub, HomePod

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More