Apple’s preparing an AI-powered smart-home tablet as it searches for a hardware hit
Home sweet iHome… Apple’s preparing to launch a wall-mounted smart-home tablet as early as March, Bloomberg reported. The device, said to look like an iPad, can control AC and lighting, host video calls, answer questions, and play music. Apple’s infusing it with features from its new generative-AI platform, Apple Intelligence, which was released last month in the latest iPhones (reception’s been lukewarm, though users are entertained by goofy AI-generated notification summaries). Apple’s hoping its AI-powered features (feat. a smarter Siri) can help it make a splash in the smart-home market.
Hey Google, call Alexa: The smart-home segment is dominated by Amazon’s Echo tablets and Google’s Nest Hub displays. Apple, trailing behind, wants to catch up.
Going out on a robo limb: Apple’s also reportedly working on a pricier version of the home tablet with a robotic arm that can move the screen around as you pace.
Is the smart home in the room with us?… Techies have long touted the prospect of connected smart homes (picture: showers that turn on at your preferred temp when your alarm rings, health sensors that order Advil). But futuristic vibes haven’t yet landed. The market’s still fragmented, with smart speakers like Amazon's Alexa and Google's Home Mini, plus thermostats and security cams. Amazon’s tablet-headed home robot, Astro, hasn’t taken off, and this year Roomba maker iRobot let go of half its workforce.
Failure’s part of the profit process… and Apple can afford to fail. As its hardware sales slow, Apple’s made big, expensive bets to enter new markets. It hasn’t always gone well: it axed its decade-long effort to build a self-driving EV. And sales of its $3.5K Vision Pro VR headset, rolled out this year, have disappointed (it’s said to be considering ending production). But the Apple Watch was a hit, making the company a leader in the connected fitness market, and it’s hoping for a repeat in the smart-home space.