Interesting, But Years Too Late | Best In New Zealand

Apple

I’ve been chasing Apple HomePad rumors for five years, ever since Bloomberg first reported Apple was exploring a HomePod with a touchscreen. A new report from Mark Gurman puts us a step closer, with—dare I say it—a possible launch window?

But I wonder if Apple isn’t a little late to the touchscreen home device game? Hear me out. Any new Apple product is interesting, but this category has existed for nearly a decade, and Apple is just now entering it.

Unless Siri AI has some smart home tricks up its sleeve we don’t know about yet. Here’s why I’m both intrigued and skeptical.

Apple HomePad Rumors Finally Have One Feature I’ve Been Waiting For

An AI-powered Siri changes the speculations for me. Gurman says the device will personalize its interface. It could adjust text and icon size depending on who’s looking at the screen. Family recognition like that could be Apple’s biggest differentiator over a Nest Hub or Echo Show—neither of which has ever felt like it knew who was standing in front of it.

Add video calls and HomeKit controls, and it starts to sound like a coherent plan. Siri AI is set to arrive with iOS 27 this September. If it lives up to the demos, this Apple smart home hub might finally have a brain worth building around.

I’m Not Sure the Smart Display Market Needs Another Screen Though

Here’s my problem. I already have an iPhone in my pocket. My kitchen has its own tablet, propped against the backsplash. My TV answers nearly the same questions a smart display would. Then, there’s the fact that Amazon’s Echo Show has been around since 2017, and Google’s Home Hub followed in 2018.

Google itself seems unsure what to do with the category lately. The standard Nest Hub hasn’t seen a real update since 2021, and the company only recently started teasing a successor. Unfortunately, smart displays never became the indispensable home gadget companies hoped they’d be—because AI assistants stepped in.

Apple Has to Prove the HomePad Is More Than an iPad for My Countertop

Apple has never struggled to make a good-looking screen, but beautiful hardware won’t be enough here. The smart home hub category struggled because none of these devices gave people a reason to use them instead of the phone already in their hand.

So the magic has to come from software. Siri needs to be dramatically better than the assistant that’s frustrated me for a decade. And HomePad needs to do something my iPad propped on a stand simply can’t. That’s why, despite the late time, these Apple HomePad rumors are the most interesting they’ve ever been. Because the right AI might finally give that screen a reason to exist.

Whether that’s enough to get me to buy yet another display for my home is another question entirely.