July 14, 2025, 3:17 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Originally, Apple planned to launch a new smart home hub in the first half of this year. The iPad-like Home Hub is intended to expand the product range beyond HomePods. However, the most crucial requirement for the device–a capable AI assistant–is still missing.
Apple Continues to Work on Home Hub
Before the WWDC developer conference in June, rumors suggested that an additional operating system called homeOS might be released alongside iOS 26 and others. The predictions did not come true. However, it is considered certain that homeOS will form the basis for a completely new smart home device.
While the Home Hub is likely to have a tablet-like display, it will primarily be voice-controlled. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple initially expected to introduce the device later in 2025–possibly alongside the new iPhone 17 models. The device, codenamed J490, is already being tested at Apple HQ and in employees’ homes. A successor with additional sensors and a robotic arm is also in development.
Launch in the First Half of 2026?
A corresponding assistant is necessary for voice control. Although Apple has Siri, the voice assistant is currently simply not capable enough to manage a smart home hub.
A “new” Siri was originally supposed to be released in the spring along with iOS 18.4 or 18.5. In early 2025, the company postponed the launch to 2026. Therefore, we can only expect a new smart home product from Apple sometime next year.
In a recent Bloomberg report on new Apple products for 2026, reporter Gurman also touches on the Home Hub topic. According to his information, new Siri features and the Home Hub could appear in the first half of 2026.
Apple Plans More Than 20 New Products for 2025
iOS 18.4 Will Be the Biggest iPhone Update in a Long Time
Apple May Be Planning Major Change for Siri
Siri Not Ready for Use in Apple’s Home Hub
Artificial intelligence is currently driving Apple into a corporate crisis. In September 2024, a new AI-powered “Smarter Siri” was introduced alongside the iPhone 16 series as one of the biggest innovations in iOS 18. The assistant is supposed to better understand natural language and complex requests and provide responses based on users’ personal context. Apple also demonstrated how Siri operates apps for users and performs actions. However, no one has been able to actually try out these features yet–no surprise, as they are not yet ready for use.
The best example of the smarter Siri’s functionality is a commercial featuring “The Last of Us” star Bella Ramsey, which Apple has since removed. In the video, Ramsey asks Siri for the name of a person she once met in a café, and the AI retrieves the exact date and name of the person. However, the assistant is currently not capable of handling such complex processes. In an internal meeting, the details of which Bloomberg has obtained, Siri division chief Robby Walker reportedly stated that the missing Siri features might not make it to iOS 19. Walker described the situation as “ugly and embarrassing.”