Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub – rumoUred to feature a square display, A18 chip and Apple Intelligence – was initially expected to launch in 2024 alongside iOS 18.4.
However, after multiple delays and a pushback of new Siri features, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman now reports the hub is unlikely to arrive before 2026.
Apple fans have been eagerly awaiting a smart home hub for years now, and despite multiple launch events in that time, there’s been little real news about when it might actually arrive. Well, after a string of delays, it’s now looking almost certain that Apple’s smart home hub won’t launch this year after all.
As we first reported last September, the rumoured HomeKit hub is expected to feature a square-ish display, an A18 chip, and built-in AI features. Apple was clearly counting on its new Apple Intelligence and revamped Siri to carry the product, and the original plan seemed to line up with the release of iOS 18.4 back in March.
However, just weeks later, Apple confirmed those Siri features had been delayed.
All we know currently is that the new Siri will debut sometime next year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also reported that a 2026 launch is almost a sure thing.
“At this point, I have little to no expectation that the product will arrive this year,” Gurman writes. “Instead, I’d expect it in 2026 — around the same time the new Siri finally launches.”
As big fans of the HomePod here at T3, we’re definitely eager to see this new smart home hub finally become a reality – especially with Apple and smart home ecosystems becoming more intertwined. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
