Apple's smart home display could arrive as early as next year

Apple 's long-rumoured smart home control centre, often dubbed the 'AI wall tablet', could become available as early as next year. Earlier reports have suggested that Apple's upcoming display will go on a wall and offer AI-powered controls to manage smart home devices, such as smart lights, security cameras, and smart speakers -- much like the Amazon Echo Hub. That also means it could allow users to attend video calls without needing the user to hold an iPhone.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed that Apple could launch its smart home display in March 2025. Apple's iPad-like display may have a six-inch display with thick edges, a built-in camera, a non-removable but rechargeable battery, and speakers. Since the display will be meant for a wall, Apple is reportedly building several bases, including a wall mount and a countertop stand with additional speakers—similar to the Google Pixel Tablet's dock, which turns the display into a full-fledged speaker system. It could also feature support for Apple Intelligence and Siri with voice controls for a smooth hands-free operation.

Previous rumours have painted an appealing picture of Apple's smart home display, suggesting that it could offer a centralised system to control HomeKit-compatible lights, security cameras, sensors, thermostats, among other items. However, whether the display provides support for Matter-enabled smart home devices is unclear. Customers may also soon see more smart home products from Apple, including a smart home camera, which could arrive in 2026, per supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Although the smart home display or control centre will operate independently, it would still require an iPhone for the setup. Gurman hints that the iPad-like display would use a mix of watchOS and iPhone's Standby mode, which is activated as soon as the iPhone is kept horizontally while charging. The sensors on the display could detect human presence and how close a person is standing to adjust what it is showing on the display. For instance, the display could bring controls, detecting a person's proximity for convenient access.

Gurman said Apple's smart home display could come in silver and black for now, but a more advanced version with robotic arms may also be on the cards.