Apple’s smart home hub now has a clearer design picture ahead of its expected October 13 launch. The device pairs a 6-inch square display with a half-dome base and a metal arm, a layout that borrows heavily from the iMac G4.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman describes the hardware in detail in his latest report. Gurman also says the hub is less than two weeks from launching, which lines up with the October 13 date reported earlier today.
The Hub Puts a 6-Inch Square Display on a Polished Metal Arm
The iMac G4 had a half-dome base with a metal arm holding up its display, and the hub follows the same basic layout. Gurman says the screen is about as thick as an iPhone, with quarter-inch black bezels similar to older iPads. The corners are rounded with no sharp edges.
The display connects to a round metal base through a polished metal arm, and it tilts forward and backward. A 6-inch screen is also smaller than the 7-inch display earlier reports pointed to. Gurman lists the remaining hardware details as follows.
- Finish: Apple’s standard gray aluminum, with a rubberized bottom so it stays put on a table
- Power: USB-C, with no built-in battery, so the hub has to stay plugged in
- Speakers: multiple rings of perforated speaker holes around the round base
- Controls: no volume or power buttons
- Camera: one front-facing FaceTime camera and no rear camera
The front camera is also expected to recognize who is looking at the screen and adjust the apps, calendar appointments and music it shows. That comes from earlier reporting on the hub, which is now being tested in employees’ homes.
The Wall-Mounted Version Moves the Speakers and Microphones Into a Thin Square Base
Bloomberg says Apple is making a second version designed to mount on a wall. It also uses USB-C for power, so both versions need a cable to work, since the tabletop model has no battery either. A thin, square base sits flat on the wall below the screen and houses the speakers and microphones.
Both versions are expected to run a new operating system built around Siri AI, with an interface that draws from iOS, tvOS and watchOS. Earlier reports describe Apple Watch-style faces and a widget gallery that syncs iPhone widgets automatically.
Apple’s full-size HomePod is reportedly sitting out the October 13 launch, so the hub is expected to arrive alongside a new HomePod mini and Apple TV instead.
