Apple HomeHub – What a merger of iPad and HomePod should yield

Apple has discontinued the original HomePod, but that doesn’t mean the entire lineup is dead. The HomePod mini is alive and well, and Apple could develop more smart home devices based on the bones of the original HomePod.

A report of it Bloomberg Monday morning suggested that Apple has been working on a variety of home appliances in a variety of form factors – most notably devices with displays and cameras. Apple secretly repeats different versions of future products before picking a version to release.

The report also mentioned that an updated HomePod was expected for 2022, but may have been canned due to HomePod’s cancellation.

Ever since Apple entered the smart speaker market after rivals Amazon, Facebook and Google, there has been speculation about a possible HomePod with a screen. Monday’s report has sparked renewed interest in such a device, so let’s take a look at what this device could ultimately be and what features it should include in order to be as much as possible to the widest possible audience.

While we’ll talk more about HomeKit in a moment, in short, you need a Home Hub to get the most out of Apple’s HomeKit for home automation. Basically, this is a special device, in the house, that’s the central spoke in the wheel that is the smart home. Without a Home Hub, you cannot control HomeKit peripherals outside the home.

Apple sells three device categories that can act as a Home Hub: the Apple TV, the HomePod, and the iPad. Each of these devices offers an overlapping set of functions that would be useful in a single product.

HomePod: Great sound, no display, lots of microphones

Users can command the HomePod to play music, control their home, send messages, or provide information via voice. There is no dedicated screen for HomePod, but some functions can be controlled from devices such as an iPhone, iPad or Mac.

The benefits of owning a HomePod include excellent room-filling audio and voice commands for HomeKit actions. Apple hoped this would be enough to justify the $ 350 price, but in the end it was deemed too expensive and saw a price drop to $ 299 before being discontinued permanently in March 2021.

The HomePod’s limitations are related to its form factor. It has no display, nor can it send content to other displays. In most situations, users are better off getting information from Siri on their iPhone, where the data is displayed and referenced.

iPad: great screen, few microphones and small speakers

Using an iPad is often a suggestion to overcome the limitations with HomePod, but this presents a new set of problems. For example, what family member would sign in with their Apple ID, leave it unlocked, or share the passcode? This concern alone leads to a myriad of privacy and security concerns. Creating a fake Apple ID isn’t always an option, as some families already have six members.

Like HomePod, the iPad is great as a Home Hub because it can be placed anywhere. Due to the portable and personal nature of the iPad, users may not want a dedicated iPad to be confined to a wall or counter.

The iPad also doesn’t have as many microphones as the full-size HomePod and doesn’t listen to alternate voices. There is also the problem of internal battery wearing out or screen burn-in. An “Apple HomeHub” desktop device would target a screen that is always on in software where the iPad does not make these considerations.

Apple could solve the iPad problem by adding multi-user support. This would allow authentication systems such as Touch ID or Face ID to work between users of the device. The option to add Apple Watch unlock to iPad for family members requires each member to attach their watch to iPad.

Apple TV: Needs a display, a good media interface, not always listening microphones

The Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD can both function as Home Hubs. They need a TV to display information and can be placed anywhere you want a screen.

The tvOS software enables multi-user support and makes media finding easy. HomeKit is also present here with HomeKit Camera integration and scene control.

The Apple TV itself cannot listen for voice commands and can only receive voice or touch commands through the Siri Remote. There are no microphones in the Apple TV hardware.

Users cannot access sensitive data or login information while browsing Apple TV. Only relevant apps are available and purchases can be hidden behind a password.

Apple could borrow from other products for the ‘HomeHub’ design, such as the Pro Display XDR

Each of Apple’s Home Hubs has strengths and weaknesses based on their form factors. Apple could benefit from offering a new product in the Home Hub category that combines the best of each.

The hybrid “HomeHub” is said to be similar to the HomePod in being a dedicated speaker with excellent sound, an iPad-like screen, and displaying apps and data via tvOS.

The current HomePod and HomePod mini run tvOS. This means they have all the frames necessary to display the tvOS interface, apps and features.

Apple could add features such as iMessage and FaceTime to the “HomeHub”. Code was discovered by MacRumors in tvOS shows that Apple has added FaceTime and iMessage frameworks along with a new AVFCapture framework related to capturing images.

After authenticating a specific user via biometrics, passcode or Apple Watch, the “HomeHub” would allow access to features such as FaceTime or iMessage for a specific user. Otherwise, the hub would only display HomeKit controls and a screen saver.

All of these things add up to an attractive new device that would compete with similar offerings from Amazon and Google.

Apple’s HomeKit is available on all of its devices, but lacks a central hub

A recent report cites home automation control as one of the top drivers of smart screens in the home, and it is expected to grow by more than 30 percent in the coming years.

Google markets its own smart display under the Nest brand and calls it the Nest Hub. The latest version of the device has just been released in March 2021, with even more improvements to the smart home.

Amazon has its own smart display and an army of Alexa-compatible third-party smart displays that work similarly with Alexa-approved smart home devices.

As it stands, there is no smart display available that can control HomeKit devices. Some devices, such as Hue bulbs, by extension work with Alexa and Google Assistant and the smart displays from Amazon and Google. Still, devices that only support HomeKit – such as Eve and Logitech devices – are left in the cold.

This creates a gap for HomeKit users who then have to choose between hopping ship to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and leaving HomeKit and Siri or creating their own from an iPad on a stand. But as we’ve discussed – the entry-level iPad has sub-par speakers and no dashboard user interface suitable for a central home command center.

A good Apple smart display can embrace control of HomeKit devices, act as a Home Hub, and potentially even open up a new category for third-party HomeKit devices.

As a HomeKit Home Hub, it could work in the same way as a HomePod or Apple TV. It would be responsible for controlling your HomeKit Secure Video cameras, providing remote access to your devices and acting as a boundary router for your Thread devices.

As it stands now, third-party devices cannot access HomeKit camera feeds and cannot control HomeKit devices beyond the limited support for buttons. Ring and August users can leave their Brilliant smart wall panel display in front of the door. Brilliant can control your Hue lights, your shade and your Sonos speakers and can even show up as a switch in the Home app, but cannot control HomeKit-specific devices.

If Apple were to explore this route, it could unlock this capability for third-party products like Brilliant and allow them to see your cameras and control your HomeKit devices.

This route would give us a true Apple smart display with full support and control for your HomeKit devices, a live view of your camera feeds, and unlock new features for third-party HomeKit devices.

The Apple Home demonstrated the HomePod mini

Apple hasn’t given up on the smart home yet. HomeKit devices are becoming more widely available and the addition of Thread makes everything work even better.

In 2019, it was reported that Apple was hiring more staff for the HomeKit team. Apple’s product timelines typically run around two years, so expect announcements of this revamped initiative soon.

Apple must release new products to compete at home. Whether it’s an “Apple TV 6” or a “HomeHub,” something has to change the customer’s perspective to gain traction in the space.

Keep up to date with all the Apple news straight from your HomePod. Say, “Hey Siri, play AppleInsider”, and you will get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for “AppleInsider Daily” and you will immediately hear a quick update from our news team. And if you’re interested in Apple-centric home automation, just say “Hey Siri, play HomeKit Insider,” and you’ll be listening to our latest specialist podcast in moments.