Apple planning to launch homeOS powered smart display soon: Report

Apple 's smart home ecosystem right now has just two devices – HomePod and HomePod Mini, and Apple TV. Now a new report says that the company is planning to expand its smart home portfolio by launching at least two new devices soon. One of these devices is likely to be a smart display that is similar to Amazon 's Echo Show and Google Nest.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple 's smart display will enable users to control a host of smart devices in their homes including the ones by third-party manufacturers. This smart display will also support features such as alarms, calendar, videos and music to name a few. Additionally, it will feature support for Matter protocol for connectivity.

For the unversed, Matter is a connectivity protocol for the smart home devices that Apple has developed along with Amazon and Google. This connectivity protocol is available freely and it aims to improve interoperability between smart home devices across manufacturers and operating systems.

Gurman, in his newsletter wrote that, beyond offering support for features that are also supported by Nest Hub and Echo Show, Apple 's upcoming display will also support Apple Intelligence-powered Siri out-of-the-box. Apple Intelligence support will enable users to control other smart home devices, apps, and media among others. The AI support will also enable the device to understand its surroundings, including factors such as who is looking at the screen and who is speaking. On the software front, the company is reportedly developing a new operating system, homeOS, to power all its smart home devices.

While there is no word on the launch timeline, Apple is expected to be priced around $1,000 (or Rs 84,000 approximately). 

Additionally, the company is also working on a high-end robotic tabletop device that will run on the company's new homeOS and support Apple Intelligence-powered features. That said, there is no word on the pricing or the availability of this robotic device yet.