After a busy 2024, Apple is gearing up to launch a full slate of new products throughout 2025, including new iPads, Macs, and, of course, iPhones. But even bigger than a new iPhone SE or iPhone 17 Air, Apple is expected to take a big first step into the smart home.
According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple is gearing up to lay the foundation for a “new smart home ecosystem” that includes three main products: a new HomePod mini and Apple TV set-top box, and a brand-new smart home hub. The latter device will usher in a brand-new category for Apple and compete with the likes of the Echo Show and Nest Hub.
Gurman says the products will likely arrive “toward the end of the year,” despite earlier rumors that the smart home hub could land in the spring. It’s still possible, however, that the home hub gets a preview at a spring event ahead of a release later in the year.
Not much is known about the new HomePod mini or Apple TV, but Gurman reports that they are being developed with Apple’s smart home platform “in mind.” The current Apple TV 4K hasn’t received an update since 2022, while the HomePod mini is still on its first-gen model from 2020. Both products have some smart home capabilities built in, but neither is marketed as a smart home device.
Apple Intelligence is likely to feature heavily in the devices as well, though how remains to be seen. On the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, it requires an A17 Pro, A18, or M-series chip with at least 8GB of RAM, far below the specifications for the current HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K.
Or they could use the smart home hub for Apple Intelligence tasks, which is almost certain to meet the requirements. Gurman says the device’s new operating system—codenamed Pebble and informally known as homeOS— is “heavily tied” to Siri’s App Intents feature coming to Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.4 and expanding in iOS 19.
All of this points to a fall release, possibly alongside the iPhone 17 but more likely at its own event dedicated to the smart home. That will set the stage for 2026, which Gurman reports will bring “a new, more conversational Siri digital assistant and Apple-made smart home accessories,” including a security camera and Face ID-powered doorbell.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.