Apple Expected to Launch New Homepad Device in Early 2025

What Happened?

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is planning to launch a new Homepad device in early 2025.

According to Gurman:

‘Apple is nearing the launch of a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing, and use AI to navigate maps. The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March (2025) and will position it as a command center for the home. The device has a roughly 6-inch screen and looks like a square iPad. It’s about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display. There’s also a camera at the top front, a rechargeable built-in battery and internal speakers.’

Why it Matters

Apple’s upcoming release of a Homepad device reflects confidence in the continued growth of the smart home market.

Statista estimated the total value of the smart home market to be $154 billion in the U.S. in 2024, with a projected growth to $250 billion by 2029. The growth can be attributed to an increase in the number of homes expected to use smart technology. Currently market penetration is 73% but Statista forecasts that to reach 90% by 2029.

Those new buyers comprise the market Apple hopes to capture with the new Homepad.

9-to-5 Mac, a popular site which often reports on new Apple technology prior to public release, added:

‘Apple also is working on a system that will let the home device sense how many people are nearby. That approach relies in part on external sensors that could be placed in wall outlets in the vicinity of the device, but those accessories may come later or get canceled altogether. The product will be a standalone device, meaning it can operate almost entirely on its own. But it will require an iPhone for some tasks, including parts of the initial setup. It will also work with Apple’s Handoff feature, which lets users trigger a function on one device and then continue on their iPhone after walking away.’

How it Affects You

There are many potential uses for the data generated by the growing number of smart home devices and technologies.

The National Association of Realtors highlighted some of these by noting ‘Data from all these devices can reveal how much energy a home uses and when, which rooms are most used, room dimensions, even finishing materials and more.’

The price of the new Apple wall-mounted smart home device is expected to be similar to the Amazon Echo, which ranges from $100 to $250. Such an affordable but versatile smart home device could appeal to tech-savvy consumers.