Apple’s reported new smart home device will use its AI to help it catch up with Google

Both Amazon (left) and Google (right) have smart home tablet offerings.

Apple could reportedly add a new AI-powered wall-mounted tablet to its lineup as early as March as it aims to catch up with more established competitors in the smart home device market.

Bloomberg reported that Apple is working on a secret project, code-named J490, that will use its Apple Intelligence software to become the control center of a home. The touchscreen tablet will be voice-operated, capable of FaceTime, and able to control home appliances, Bloomberg said.

It reportedly looks like a square iPad and is Apple’s opportunity to become a real competitor in the smart home market, where rivals like Google and Amazon have been selling devices for years. Meta’s videoconferencing tablet, Portal, failed to take off as an at-home device.

Owners of the Apple product will have access to Apple apps, Apple Music, Siri, and can use it as an intercom system, according to Bloomberg. Apple expects people mostly to interact with it using their voices. Bloomberg said its price tag could be up to $1,000 — a big jump from competing devices, ranging from $100 to $230 for Amazon Echo and Google Nest Hub models.

Apple is reportedly working on a system that will let the device sense how many people are near and how far away from the device they are.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from B-17.

Although reports of Apple eyeing smart home products have surfaced since the beginning of this year, the company hasn’t previously confirmed the rumors.

Like its AI rollout, Apple is taking a slower approach to releasing a device to compete in the smart home space. Whether that strategy pays off could be revealed as early as March.