2 weeks ago
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How excited are you about the prospect of Apple actually launching its own TV? According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s latest newsletter, the Cupertino company “may revisit the idea of making an Apple-branded TV set,” which he says it has been “evaluating” for some time.
The first time we heard rumors of an Apple television was nearly 14 years ago, though Steve Jobs later dismissed the idea of a TV, claiming there was no market for it then. We later found Jobs had a plan for an “integrated” Apple TV in one of his biographies.
However, according to Gurman, an Apple television will likely not happen if some of Apple’s rumored hardware releases fail. One of these releases includes a Google Nest Hub-like smart home device, essentially an iPad mounted to a wall. It will offer integration with all other smart Apple devices and the option to control them.
According to the predictions, it will run on a new operating system called homeOS and tout Apple’s new and finally smart Siri and the all-new Apple Intelligence.
Earlier this month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also heard about another possible Apple release: a smart home IP (Internet Protocol) camera. Reportedly, Apple will stuff this product with the revamped Siri and Apple Intelligence.
The Cupertino company seems really invested in smart home technology lately. Apple is reportedly toying with the notion of producing an entirely new smart home device. This is different from the Nest-like hub talked about earlier. This one is going to be an advanced version of the existing HomePod.
Gurman predicts the HomePod will grow a screen as big as two iPhones placed side by side so that users can navigate to make video calls, surf the web, and check the calendar, among other tasks. This revamped HomePod will look like the ancient iMac G4 from 2002.
He also hints at another potential release that might follow the iMac G4-style HomePod: a more premium smart home device with a bigger screen. This one will be controlled by a robotic limb that moves the screen so that it follows you around the room. Predictions point towards a whopping $1,000 price for this product.
A 9to5Mac prediction I found valuable was that “Apple likely really wants to push the idea of customers using Apple Vision Pro as their home theater, which this would go against.” If Apple soon realizes its TV set could kill its XR headset (even more), it might do away with its plan.
