The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March 2025 and will position it as a command centre for the home, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The product, code-named J490, also will spotlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential.
CEO Tim Cook is betting that the product can make Apple a force in the smart home segment, where the company has trailed behind Google and Amazon.com in recent years. He has made the device a priority for the company's engineering and design departments and is pushing to get it to market after more than three years of development.
A representative for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
The device has a roughly six-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. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.
Apple has designed different attachments for the device, including ones that affix the screens onto walls like a classic home-security panel. There will be bases with additional speakers that can be placed in the kitchen, on a nightstand or on a desk. Apple imagines the FaceTime feature being used while cooking or for videoconferencing during work meetings.
