According to one Bloomberg report on Wednesday citing insiders.
The device will allow users to make video calls, control smart home devices such as plugs and bulbs, and control home security. It would be a tabletop robotics device, with a robotic arm that moves a central screen. The price of the device would be around $1,000 and its release would be in 2026 or 2027.
Apple has moved key engineers from the Apple Watch and removed Self-driving Apple car project teams and has put more emphasis on it in recent months, according to Bloomberg.
Related: Apple cancels 10-year electric car project, moves some employees to AI division
The home device would bring AI features to the home by applying Apple IntelligenceApple's take on AI, in a new use case outside of the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple recently announced that it will bring AI to Syria and give the voice assistant direct access to ChatGPT.
HOW Amazon Echo devices can be controlled with Alexa-driven voice commands, Apple's secret home hub can be controlled with Siri voice interactions.
For example, if a user says “Look at me” to the device, it can position itself to where the person is in the room. It may also be able to distinguish one person's voice from another using AI.
Apple has previously tried to enter the smart home market with the HomePods speakers, which had 21% of the US smart speaker market in January 2023 compared to 67% of Amazon Echo.