A month ago, Apple announced that its big AI-powered Siri upgrade was delayed until 2026. After that, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Cupertino might also delay the introduction of its smart home hub, also known as the HomePad, for a few months. Now, as Apple’s AI crisis grows, the journalist says the smart home hub will be delayed at least until 2026, which is now when Apple is expected to deliver the new Siri functionality with screen awareness.
Gurman discusses this in his Power On newsletter. “There’s no big surprise there: The device will be primarily controlled by voice, and it depends on Siri and the underlying App Intents technology,” the journalist writes.
While the App Intents technology was teased during the tvOS 18.4 beta cycle, this API is useless without a revamped Siri. “Initially, there was some optimism that the snags would only result in the smart home hub shipping a few months later — say, around the time of the new iPhones. Now the company is considering a delay until 2026 when the Siri features are expected to land,” Gurman predicts.
Still, the journalist says the device is already in use, with “a large number of employees also trying it out at home.” Unfortunately, the delay of Apple’s smart home hub also implies the company will take long to introduce its robot, a product with ‘AI personality, additional sensors, and a robotic arm that can maneuver the screen above your desk, kitchen counter, or nightstand.”
While Apple already leaked what this robot might be capable of doing, it’s a shame that a proper upgrade to the smart home system will take the company a couple of years—especially now that the Apple TV and HomePod models already need upgrades.
That said, it seems Apple has a lot in store, but until it figures out how to fix Siri, the company will keep embarrassing itself and delaying essential features. In contrast, its competitors keep advancing at an unprecedented pace in the IA market.
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