Apple is planning to ship a new smart home device with a 7-inch touchscreen display sometime between October and early next year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The device combines speaker hardware similar to a HomePod with a display, facial recognition, and an operating system built from a blend of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS.
Facial recognition is one of the more practical features described in Gurman’s report. When someone walks toward the device, it identifies them and surfaces information relevant to that person, including calendar appointments, photos, and other personalized data.
The interface also scales automatically based on the user’s proximity, enlarging elements as the user approaches and shrinking them as they step away.
Built to Spread Through Your Home
Apple is designing the hub to work in multiple rooms simultaneously. It will come in both tabletop and wall-mounted versions, and the company expects many households to purchase more than one unit.
A built-in intercom system would let people communicate between rooms in homes that have multiple devices installed.
That multi-room expectation also signals how Apple intends to position this product commercially.
Rather than a single central device, the hub appears to be designed as a recurring purchase within the same household, aligning more closely with how Amazon has sold Echo devices for years.
What the Hub Actually Does Day to Day
Beyond Siri AI and facial recognition, the device supports FaceTime video calls, music playback, home security monitoring, control of HomeKit accessories, and photo gallery display.
A customizable clock face functions as the default idle screen, keeping the display useful even when no one is actively using it.
For households already using HomeKit, the hub offers a physical control point for smart lights, locks, thermostats, and other connected accessories without needing to reach for a phone. That friction reduction is likely the most immediate practical benefit for existing Apple home users.
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A Security Camera Is Also in Development
Gurman’s report separately notes that Apple is developing an advanced indoor security camera intended to compete with Amazon’s Ring product line.
No release window was given for the camera, but its development suggests Apple is building toward a more complete home security ecosystem rather than a standalone display device.
Apple has not confirmed any of this publicly. If the October timeline holds, an announcement would likely come during the company’s fall hardware event, where it traditionally introduces new devices alongside updated iPhone and Mac hardware.
