Apple’s desktop device could pave the way for a new operating system with Apple Intelligence

Apple has been reportedly working on a new type of screen-focused smart home device for a while now, and it looks like arrive as early as next year. Now Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is looking at not one but two such devices at different price points, and that they will mark the era of a new AI-first software approach.

Codenamed J595, it’s a high-end machine with a large iPad-inspired screen and robotic limbs. The other, using the identifier J490 internally, looks more like a traditional smart display (think of a screen built into the speaker base), which will mainly serve as a FaceTime machine and smart home control center.

Unlike the approach taken by Apple with the Vision Pro, which is all about flexing its engineering muscles and imagining a completely new approach to computing, the company’s foray into the smart display space will likely start at the lower end of the price spectrum, or specifically the device codenamed J490.

Now the device will not be completely unique. Amazon has been offering similar devices under the Echo Show label for a while now, and Google’s approach to the Nest Hub isn’t much different. Where Apple has a chance to stand out is in the software ecosystem built around these devices. This secret sauce is artificial intelligence, or as it is in the brand’s lexicon. Apple Intelligence.

“Apple Intelligence tools will be at the core of both products and will help the company bring AI into homes,” the Bloomberg report says. With the integration of artificial intelligence at the center of the experience, Apple will reportedly also rename the software. It looks like just as we got iPadOS from the iOS experience, the software suite on upcoming smart home devices will also be branded as homeOS.

The hardware has apparently been designed with user convenience in mind, allowing users to run essential apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home, which not only provide a glimpse of important routine information but also the status of connected devices. What’s more, homeOS will reportedly be optimized for intuitive control of your home appliances, so users can make adjustments and monitor as needed.

The upcoming smart home devices are said to result from collaboration between Apple’s AI and hardware engineering units. Bloomberg’s report mentions that while the devices are in the prototype engineering stage, there are design concepts that envision these devices being attached to walls using a magnetic mounting system.

The report mentions a price of around $1,000, which is quite a high price for one of the smart devices. But it seems that the silicon requirements needed to launch Apple Intelligence in all its glory, along with functional display assembly and speaker hardware, may be one of the key reasons why.

Regardless, it would be interesting how exactly Apple would market these devices to smart home enthusiasts and, more importantly, how it would convince them to part ways with a healthy few hundred dollars rather than relying on third-party solutions that adopt the Matter protocol. Perhaps we will hear Apple’s “seamless ecosystem integration” argument once again.