Report: Apple’s all-new smart home hub is no longer likely to launch this year

The all-new smart home hub was supposed to be Apple’s star of the show this year. There was just one problem: Siri. After a multitude of Siri hiccups and delays, it begun to look more and more unlikely that the product would launch in 2025. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that a 2026 launch is almost a guarantee.

Originally, it seemed all but confirmed that we’d see the Apple smart home hub around March or so. The product was well rumored throughout 2024, and we essentially know every key tech spec about it. To recap:

• 7-inch square display with thick bezel
• Camera at the top
• Rechargeable built in battery
• A new Apple operating system: homeOS
• Heavy focus on video applications like FaceTime
• Support for many Apple apps
• StandBy-inspired dashboard
• Easy ability to control your smart home
• Apple Intelligence support with A18 chip

Of course, a smart home product is heavily reliant on a voice assistant, and Apple was betting on its new Apple Intelligence Siri promises to carry this product. The initial rumored March timeframe aligned with the launch of iOS 18.4, which was when Apple initially planned to debut its new Siri features.

Then, there were quality concerns, and the launch got delayed to iOS 18.5 in May. Not a big deal. Then, a couple weeks afterwards, Apple announced that the Siri features are delayed, and all we know as of now is that they’ll launch at some point in the coming year.

After the delay was announced, it seemed almost definite that the rumored smart home hub would also take a hit from this delay. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reports as such:

The hub also is dependent on a new version of App Intents, which would allow Siri to more precisely control applications and functions. The device is meant to be operated primarily via voice, something App Intents enables. At this point, I have little to no expectation that the product will arrive this year. Instead, I’d expect it in 2026 — around the same time the new Siri finally launches.

Were you excited for the new Apple smart home hub? Will you still buy one when it finally launches just under a year from now? Let us know in the comments.

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