Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues
Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it’ll have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported that the iPad-shaped AI home hub wouldn’t be ready until September, several months after the company hoped to launch it this spring. Apple engineers must first complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, codenamed J490, according to Bloomberg.
Apple was hoping to launch the J490 this month, along with a host of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro modelsAnd iPad Air M4. Apple first revealed the smart home display in November 2024.
An Apple representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant which uses voice recognition and AI to accomplish various tasks and orderswith fascinating uses. You can use Siri to find your iPhone: “Hey Siri, where are you? » — or to hear the weather forecast — “Siri, what will the weather be like today?” Siri is available on iPhone, MacBook and iPad. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.
As CNET reported Last month, Apple engineers struggled to get the improved Siri assistant out the door. It’s not fast enough, gets confused by complex controls, and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also grappling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri isn’t yet able to perform in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to social media, all with a single command.
It’s been almost two years since Apple announced it would be making a major upgrade to Siri. In the meantime, competitors like AlexaPlus And Gemini for the house entered the market.
Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says repeated delays in upgrading Siri may “erode” confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up with the AI race.
“Apple as a whole remains one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI business is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,” Rettinger told CNET.
Rettinger said he’s had trouble getting Siri to perform basic commands, like setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of a “mess” at the moment.
“That said, the iPhone has such market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of crazy when you think about it,” Rettinger said.
Facial recognition for residents
The hardware for the next smart home display is already complete. It looks like an iPad and can either be mounted on a wall or placed on a half-dome base, according to the Bloomberg report.
The device will be equipped with facial recognition. So when residents approach, personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks, etc. will be displayed.
The on-screen interface will include a set of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report states that the smart home display will be the first in a series of home devices from Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera, and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.
