According to a new report from reliable Apple insider Mark Gurman, Apple now has a team of several hundred people is working on a new home device. Codenamed J595, the tabletop device would use a thin robotic arm to control a large screen, with actuators that would allow it to rotate 360 degrees or tilt up and down.
In other words, you could think of it as a sort of HomePod with a screen that can rotate and tilt to follow users, or an iPad on a robotic arm.
Obviously, with a large touchscreen, the device would have far more capabilities than a current HomePod and might not even carry that brand name. Gurman’s sources say the device is envisioned as a “smart home command center, video conferencing machine, and remote-controlled home security tool.”
The first two features seem obvious: the Home app and FaceTime, and we expect them to be on any Apple device with a screen. But the home security tools seem interesting; perhaps users will get notifications when no one is home and the device will detect people or other events, and be able to see what it sees on their iPhone, moving the camera/screen to get the view they want.
The device was apparently approved by the executive team in 2022 and counts Tim Cook and John Ternus among its most ardent supporters. Still, it’s not expected to be released until 2026 or 2027, and with a projected price tag of around $1,000, it will need to have far greater capabilities than similar devices like the Echo Show 10 or the no-longer-available Meta Portal.
