This device will be Apple's most significant release of 2025
What's the story
Apple is on track to launch a new smart home hub, which will be like a HomePod but with touchscreen, later this year.
The information comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who expects this product to be "Apple's most significant release of the year."
It will work like a "smaller and cheaper iPad," letting users control appliances, make FaceTime chats, and do other things.
Strategic move
HomePod hub: A step toward smart home dominance
Gurman notes that the launch of this home hub marks Apple's "first step toward a bigger role in the smart home."
This matches earlier rumors of a screen-bearing HomePod and an Apple home hub, which are now thought to be one and the same.
Last month, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that a new HomePod with a 6-to-7-inch display, an A18 chip, and support for Apple Intelligence, would enter mass production in H2 2025.
Tech specs
HomePod hub to feature new homeOS
The upcoming home hub is said to be versatile, attachable to a tabletop base with a speaker or a wall.
Gurman had previously reported it would run on a new "homeOS" operating system, with a customizable widget-focused home screen and revolving around Siri, Apple Intelligence, and HomeKit.
The device could also double as a home security system by displaying camera footage and facilitating FaceTime video calls through an inbuilt camera.
Market competition
Apple's home hub to rival Google, Amazon products
Apple's new home hub would take on similar offerings from the likes of Google's Nest Hub and Amazon's Echo Show.
It is still unclear if Apple will keep the HomePod branding for this device or go with something new like the Apple Home.
Both Kuo and Gurman have noted that Apple is also working on an indoor camera for the hub, making it even smarter.