More details about Apple’s still-unannounced home hub are trickling out, and the device’s potential features might sound familiar to those with Amazon and Google smart displays.
The latest buzz comes once again from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who describes a product that might look like a “low-end iPad” complete with integrated batteries, speakers, and a FaceTime camera for video chat.
Gurman had previously revealed that the wall-mountable “command center” would have a six-inch squarish screen powered by a new “homeOS” operating system, with smart home controls similar to those already available via iOS’s StandBy mode.
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Now Gurman has some fresh details to reveal, although the usual caveats apply, given that Apple has yet to confirm the reports.
One of the most intriguing new details is that the upcoming “HomePad” (as it’s being called online) will be able to sense your position in the room and adjust its UI depending on your proximity—meaning, for example, it could boost the size of on-screen elements when you’re further away, or dial up the details when you’re closer to the device.
If that sounds familiar, perhaps you’re thinking of Amazon’s “Adaptive Content” functionality, which keeps on-screen items on its Echo Show displays (pictured both above and below) big and bold when you’re at a distance while drilling down with more details as your approach.
Google’s Nest Hub displays can do the same thing, with the Nest Hub Max capable of sensing where you are in the room and adjusting its interface accordingly.
If Apple does go ahead and follow the lead of Amazon and Google with such “adaptive” on-screen content, it wouldn’t be a big surprise—after all, it’s a clever feature, and Apple’s never been shy about borrowing effective features from competitors.
Other possible Apple home hub features include a FaceTime-powered intercom, a speaker base that allows you to place the device on the shelf or table, and the ability to display security camera feeds as well as control your HomePods, Gurman reports.
Even the more advanced Apple smart device said to be coming later—one with a display attached to a robotic arm—sounds an awful lot like Amazon’s latest Echo Show 10, which has a motorized display that can follow you around the room.
So far, so déjà vu, but the Apple home hub would offer at least one unique twist: it would be the first Apple-branded HomeKit display (not counting iOS’s StandBy mode), meaning that Apple users making do with Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub displays could finally go all-in with a HomeKit-focused alternative.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.