Apple currently trails Amazon and Google in the connected home market but the Cupertino-based company is apparently making efforts to change the narrative. A recent report by Bloomberg indicates that Apple is developing two smart home devices with loads of features that could outclass its present lineup of smart home gadgets.
The report says that a new Apple TV accessory with a mixture of features of Apple TV and a HomePod is under development by the US tech giant. The accessory comes with a built-in speaker and camera for video calls. The smart speaker bears a close semblance with Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub in terms of its basic functionality. Although the product is in early-stage development, the report lists gaming, video streaming, music playback, video calling, and Siri voice assistant capabilities among the device’s features.
The in-development Apple smart display with Siri Voice Assistant support will combine the features of an Apple iPod and HomePod to produce a smart home device with video chat functionality and rumor of a robotic arm for moving the display and tracking users. The new smart display device would not need to be connected to the Apple TV, as its in-built display will serve as the interface for the video chat and other features that would be available on the device.
The two smart home devices have a much broader functionality than the current Apple home lineup and could be targeted at retaining an ebbing customer base. There is no indication yet on the possible date of release of the two models, and Apple is yet to provide a definitive statement on the rumored development of the smart home gadgets.
Apple will also provide the long-awaited update for the Apple TV that could offer some critical fixes to the device, including improving the display refresh rate to 120Hz. The rumored update would be the first since 2017.
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