The new product is a smart home hub that will recognize the user; display that person’s contacts, messages, calendar appointments, notes and preferred app layout; and respond to questions with answers that are based on that person’s data, according to the report.
The device can also be used to control thermostats, door locks and other connected products, and to enable video calls, intercom-style communication, music playback and viewing of photo slideshows, the report said.
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The smart home hub will have a 6-inch-square display; will be available in versions that can be mounted on a wall or placed on a countertop; will be equipped with a camera, microphones and speakers; and will use voice or facial recognition to identify which user it is interacting with. It is code-named J490, per the report.
Apple also plans to announce the first update to its HomePod mini since it introduced that product in 2020, and its first new TV set-top box since 2022, according to the report.
Both products will retain their current designs, though the HomePod mini will come in new colors and both products will have faster processors to support the AI models behind Siri, the report said.
All three products will showcase Siri AI, which is Apple’s revamped, artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant, per the report.
An Apple spokesperson declined Bloomberg’s request to comment on the report.
Bloomberg News reported Tuesday (Sept. 29) that Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, wants a leaner company that is quicker at developing products. Among his ideas for Apple are depending less on the company’s traditional spring and fall product launches; cutting some middle-management roles to reduce the layers between engineers and senior executives; introducing products faster; and becoming more experimental to stay competitive in the AI era, according to the report.
Ternus became CEO on Sept. 1 and, in his first comments to employees, previewed Apple’s iPhone launch that was to come a week later and said he was just excited about what lies beyond that. Ternus said that includes “incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven’t even imagined yet that we’ll dream up and create together.”
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