Apple HomeHub: What a iPad and HomePod Merger Should Provide

Apple suspended the original HomePod, but that doesn’t mean all the training is dead. The HomePod mini is alive and Apple can develop smarter home devices based on the bones of the original HomePod.

A report from Bloomberg Monday morning suggested that Apple has been working on different home devices in various form factors, specifically with screens and cameras. Apple secretly repeats several versions of possible products before choosing a version to launch.

The report also mentioned that an updated HomePod was expected for 2022, but it may have been retained due to HomePod cancellation.

Since Apple’s entry into the smart speaker market following competition from Amazon, Facebook and Google, there has been speculation about a possible HomePod with screen. Monday’s report has sparked renewed interest in this device, so let’s look at what this device could be and what features it should incorporate to be as broad as possible for as wide an audience as possible.

While we’ll talk more about HomeKit soon, to get the most out of Apple’s HomeKit home automation, you need a Home Hub. In short, it is a dedicated device, at home, which is the central radius of the wheel that is the smart home. Without Home Hub, HomeKit peripherals cannot be controlled away from home.

Apple sells three categories of devices that can act as a Home Hub: the Apple TV, the HomePod, and the iPad. Each of these devices offers a set of overlapping features that would be useful in a single product.

HomePod: great sound, no screen, lots of microphones

Users can control the HomePod to play music, control their home, send messages, or provide voice information. There is no dedicated screen for HomePod, but some features can be controlled by devices such as an iPhone, iPad or Mac.

The benefits of owning a HomePod include excellent voice and audio commands that fill the HomeKit action room. Apple hoped this would be enough to justify the $ 350 price tag, but it was eventually considered too expensive and the price was reduced to $ 299 before its final completion in March 2021.

The limitations of the HomePod are related to its form factor. It has no screen and cannot launch content on other screens. In most situations, it is best for users to get information from Siri on their iPhone where the data is displayed and can be referenced.

iPad: Large screen, few microphones and small speakers

Using an iPad is often a suggestion for resolving limitations with HomePod, but this presents a new set of issues. For example, which family member would sign in with their Apple ID, leave it unlocked, or share their password? This concern only causes a lot of privacy and security issues. Creating a fake Apple ID isn’t always an option, as some families may already have six members.

Like HomePod, the iPad is great as a Home Hub, as it can be placed anywhere. However, due to the personal and portable nature of the iPad, users may not want to have a dedicated iPad restricted to a wall or desk.

The iPad also doesn’t have as many microphones as the full-size HomePod and doesn’t hear alternate voices. There is also the problem of internal battery wear or screen recording. An “Apple HomeHub” desktop device would address a screen always visible in software where the iPad ignores these considerations.

Apple could solve the iPad problem by adding multi-user support. This would allow authentication systems such as Touch ID or Face ID to work among device users. The option to add the Apple Watch unlock to the iPad for family members would require each member to have the watch connected to the iPad.

Apple TV: You need a screen, a good multimedia interface, no microphones that always listen

Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD can function as Home Hubs. They need a TV to display information and can be placed anywhere you want.

TvOS software allows multi-user support and facilitates the search for media. HomeKit is also present with the integration of the HomeKit camera and scene controls.

The Apple TV cannot hear voice commands by itself and can only receive voice or touch commands using the Siri Remote. There is no microphone in the Apple TV hardware.

Users cannot access sensitive data or login information when browsing Apple TV. Only relevant apps are available and purchases can be hidden behind a password.

Apple could borrow other products for the “HomeHub” design, such as the Pro Display XDR

Each of Apple’s Home Hubs has strengths and weaknesses based on their form factors. Apple could benefit from offering a new product within the Home Hub category that combines the best of each.

The hybrid “HomeHub” would be similar to the HomePod in that it is a dedicated speaker with excellent sound, have a screen similar to an iPad and display applications and data via tvOS.

The current HomePod and HomePod mini run tvOS. This means that they already have the necessary frameworks to display the tvOS interface, applications and functions.

Apple could add features like iMessage and FaceTime to the “HomeHub.” The code was discovered by MacRumors on tvOS showing that Apple has added FaceTime and iMessage frames, along with a new AVFCapture frame related to image capture.

After authenticating a specific user using biometric data, password, or Apple Watch, the “HomeHub” would allow access to features such as FaceTime or iMessage for a specific user. Otherwise, the hub would only show HomeKit controls and a screen saver.

All these things add up to a new and attractive device that would compete with similar offers from Amazon and Google.

Apple’s HomeKit is available on all of its devices, but it doesn’t have a central hub

A recent report cites home automation control as one of the most significant drivers of smart home screens, as it is expected to continue to grow by more than 30% over the next few years.

Google markets its own smart display with its Nest brand, dubbing it the Nest Hub. The latest version of the device was just released in March 2021, with even more improvements to the smart home.

Amazon has its own smart display and an army of Alexa-compatible smart screens that work similarly to Alexa-approved smart home devices.

As it stands, there is no smart screen available that is able to control HomeKit devices. Some devices, such as Hue bulbs, work with Alexa and Google Assistant and Amazon and Google smart screens by extension. However, devices that only support HomeKit, such as Eve and Logitech devices, remain cold.

This creates a hole for HomeKit users who have to choose between jumping to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and leaving HomeKit and Siri or creating their own from an iPad on a medium. But, as we mentioned, the entry-level iPad has sub-pair speakers and no control panel user interface suitable for a central home control center.

A suitable Apple smart display could include HomeKit device control, act as a Home Hub, and even open a new category for third-party HomeKit devices.

As a HomeKit Home Hub, it could work similarly to HomePod or Apple TV. You would be responsible for controlling HomeKit secure camcorders, providing remote access to your devices, and acting as a border router for your Thread devices.

As it stands, third-party devices do not have access to the HomeKit camera feeds and cannot control HomeKit devices outside the limited support for buttons. Ring and August users can have their Brilliant smart wall screen that is on the doorstep. Brilliant can control Hue bulbs, shadow, Sonos speakers and can even be displayed in the Home app as a switch, but it cannot control HomeKit-specific devices.

If Apple explored this route, it could unlock this capability for third-party products such as Brilliant and allow them to view cameras and control HomeKit devices.

This route would provide us with a real Apple smart screen with full compatibility and control for your HomeKit devices, a live view of the camera’s feeds, as well as unlocking new features for third-party HomeKit devices.

The Apple Home used to demonstrate HomePod mini

Apple has not yet left the smart home. HomeKit devices are increasingly available and the addition of Thread makes things work even better.

In 2019 it was reported that Apple was hiring more staff for the HomeKit team. Apple’s product deadlines typically extend for about two years, so expect announcements of this renewed initiative soon.

Apple needs to launch new products to compete at home. Whether it’s an “Apple TV 6” or a “HomeHub,” something has to change the customer’s perspective to get traction in space.

Keep up to date with all of Apple’s news from your HomePod. Say “Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider” and you’ll get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or, ask your HomePod mini “AppleInsider Daily” and you’ll hear a quick update directly from our news team. And, if you’re interested in Apple-focused home automation, say “Hey, Siri, Play HomeKit Insider” and you’ll hear our latest specialty podcast at some point.