John-Anthony Disotto...

THINKS APPLE NEEDS TO GET ITS NEW SMART HOME DEVICES RIGHT, OR IT'S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) APPROACH TO COULD BE DISASTROUS

- JOHN-ANTHONY DISOTTO

Rumours of a new Apple smart home device, similar to Amazon's Echo Show, have been rife for the last year or so now, and while we wait patiently for Apple to release what would essentially be a HomePod with a screen, I thought I'd discuss the potential of such a product and why it needs to be done right.

In September, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was ready to take 'another crack at the smart home market' by releasing two smart display products capable of running Siri and Apple Intelligence. The new devices have been in the pipeline for a while now with previous reports hinting at 'a tabletop device code-named J595 that combines a robotic limb with a large, iPad-like display.' But Gurman says Apple is also working on a 'low-end smart display' codenamed J490 aimed at using FaceTime and Apple Home control.