(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc., aiming to catch up with rivals in the smart home market, is poised to launch a new product category: a wall-mounted display capable of controlling home appliances, handling video conferencing and ‘use AI to navigate applications.
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The company is preparing to announce the device as early as March and will position it as a command center for the home, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The product, named J490, will also highlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential.
CEO Tim Cook is betting the product can make Apple a force in the smart home segment, where the company has lagged behind Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. in recent years. He has made the device a priority for the company’s engineering and design departments and is working to bring it to market after more than three years of development.
A representative for Apple, based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment.
The device has a screen of around 6 inches and looks like a square iPad. It’s about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick bezel around the screen. There’s also a camera up front, a built-in rechargeable battery, and internal speakers. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.
The product has a touchscreen interface that looks like a mix of the Apple Watch operating system and the iPhone’s recently launched StandBy mode. But the company expects most people to use their voice to interact with the device, relying on the Siri digital assistant and Apple Intelligence. The hardware was built around App Intents, a system that allows AI to precisely control apps and tasks, which is expected to debut in the coming months.
The product will be marketed as a way to control home appliances, chat with Siri and hold intercom sessions through Apple’s FaceTime software. It will also feature Apple apps, including browsing the web, listening to updates, and listening to music. Users will be able to access their notes and calendar information, and the device will be able to turn into a slideshow for their photos.
A first for Apple, the device will compete with Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Hub smart displays, as well as Google’s Nest Hub. It’s also reminiscent of Meta Platforms Inc.’s Portal, a failed videoconferencing device from the social media giant. Apple is already planning a more expensive follow-up version with a robotic limb that can move the screen. Apple plans to market this technology as a home companion with an AI personality.
The high-end product could cost as much as $1,000 depending on the components it uses, the sources said. The display-only device will be much lower than that, coming close to the cost of competing products. The Echo Show 8 costs $150, while the Echo Hub costs $180. The Nest Hub Max costs $230.
Apple designed different mounts for the device, including ones that attach the displays to walls like a typical home security panel. There will be bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen, on a nightstand or on a desk. Apple imagines the FaceTime functionality to be used while cooking or videoconferencing during work meetings.
A person close to its development said the product is designed to bring Siri and Apple Intelligence to life in a way that has never happened before. Last month, the company rolled out a limited set of Apple Intelligence features for iPhones, iPads and Macs. More advanced features, such as generative AI for images and an integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, will arrive in December.
The screen device, which runs a new operating system called Pebble, will include sensors to determine how far away a person is. It will then automatically adjust its functionality depending on the distance. For example, if users are several meters away, the temperature can be displayed. As they approach, the interface can switch to a home thermostat control panel.
The newly designed operating system will also include a customizable home screen where users can run widgets to check stocks, weather and appointments. They can also configure the screen to highlight key home controls. There will also be a dock for quickly launching your favorite apps and a grid of software icons on the iPhone-style home screen.
During development, Apple considered launching an app store as part of the device, but recently decided to exclude this feature, at least in the initial release.
The product will leverage Apple’s long-standing smart home framework, HomeKit, which can control thermostats, lights, locks, security cameras, sensors, sprinklers, fans and other third-party equipment. Apple supports hundreds of accessories with HomeKit and offers iCloud online storage plans for home security footage.
Security will be a particular priority for the new device. It will deliver security alerts and display images from cameras, including those from smart doorbells. It will also serve as an intercom system between rooms in homes equipped with multiple Apple screens.
Apple has considered creating its own line of smart home accessories, including an indoor security camera that could double as a baby monitor. The idea would be to emphasize privacy controls, one of Apple’s hallmarks. If the smart home display is successful, the company could prioritize plans to bring such accessories to market.
Apple is also working on a system that will allow the home device to detect the number of people nearby. This approach relies in part on external sensors that could be placed in wall outlets near the device, but these accessories may arrive later or be canceled altogether.
The product will be a standalone device, meaning it will be able to operate almost entirely autonomously. But it will require an iPhone for some tasks, including some parts of the initial setup. It will also work with Apple’s Handoff feature, which allows users to trigger a function on a device and then continue on their iPhone after walking away.
The project is a collaboration between several Apple teams, including the Home Hardware Engineering group led by executive Matt Costello and the Software Engineering Ecosystems group led by Arun Mathias. Costello and Mathias are known as the “executive sponsors” responsible for developing the product. Apple’s industrial and human interface design teams are also heavily involved.
Eventually, Apple hopes to be able to sell multiple units of the device to consumers, who will place them around the home and use them several times a day.
