Apple’s smart display will run on AI in the new operating system

Apple has been reportedly working on a new type of display-centric smart home device for some time now, and it looks like it’ll arrive as soon as next year. Bloomberg is now reporting that Apple is considering not one, but two such devices at different price points, and that they will mark an era of a new approach to AI-first software.

Codenamed J595, this machine is a high-end machine with a large iPad-inspired screen and robotic limbs. The second, which has the J490 ID internally, looks more like a conventional smart display – imagine a screen placed on the base of a speaker – that would mainly serve as a FaceTime device and a smart home control center.

Unlike the approach Apple took with the Vision Pro, which was to flex its engineering muscles and imagine an entirely new approach to computing, the company’s foray into the smart display space will likely start at a lower price point, specifically a device codenamed J490.

Now the device won’t be particularly special. Amazon has been offering similar devices under the Echo Show brand for some time, and Google’s approach to the Nest Hub isn’t much different. Where Apple has a chance to stand out is the software ecosystem built around these devices. This secret sauce is AI, or in the Apple brand lexicon, Intelligence.

“Apple Intelligence tools will be at the heart of both products and will help the company bring artificial intelligence into the home,” says the Bloomberg report. Since AI integration will be in the spotlight, Apple will also reportedly relabel the software. It appears that just as iPadOS was developed from iOS, the software suite on upcoming smart home devices will be branded as homeOS.

The hardware appears to have been designed with user convenience in mind, allowing users to launch basic apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home that not only let you glance at important, routine information, but also check the status of connected devices. Moreover, homeOS is reported to be optimized for intuitive control of home appliances, allowing users to make adjustments and monitoring where necessary.

The upcoming smart home devices are said to be a collaboration between Apple’s artificial intelligence units and hardware engineers. The Bloomberg report mentioned that when the devices were in the prototype design stage, there were design concepts that included attaching the devices to walls using a magnetic mounting system.

The report mentions a starting price of around $1,000 for one of the smart devices, which is quite high. However, it looks like the silicon requirements needed to run Apple Intelligence in all its glory may be one of the main reasons for this, along with a functional screen and speaker setup.

It would be interesting to see how Apple goes about selling these devices to smart home enthusiasts and, more importantly, convincing them to part with a healthy few hundred dollars rather than relying on third-party solutions that support the Matter protocol. Perhaps we will hear Apple’s “seamless ecosystem integration” argument once again.