Apple has three new Home products launching this year, and the first one is especially exciting. It’s a new smart display that I’m calling ‘HomePad,’ and it meets a key need that Apple’s smart home ecosystem has always had.
Apple Home is getting its first true command center
Apple has long supported the concept of a ‘home hub’ among its products.
As this support document explains, you can use a HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or even an iPad as a ‘home hub.’
But what does that actually mean? Only that your home hub lets you control smart home accessories while away, perform automations, and more.
Being a home hub doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the central hub for all your smart home needs. Rather, you simply get a few connectivity benefits.
The forthcoming HomePad, however, will be a true ‘home hub’ in another sense: serving as the physical command center for interacting with smart home accessories.
The original HomePod was pitched as being such a device, but controlling home accessories through it depends entirely on Siri.
Whether you’ve had good or bad experiences with Siri, it’s still not good enough. Siri on HomePod makes an insufficient smart home ‘command center’ for one reason: it’s voice only.
With the HomePad, however, users will be able to view and control all their smart home accessories both with Siri and on a touch display.
This idea isn’t exactly revolutionary. You can already use a variety of other screens to control home accessories—your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV 4K, and even Vision Pro all support this.
But never before has Apple offered a screen that’s dedicated to being a home hub, a command center for your smart home.
HomePad will make smart home controls accessible for all
Some users have repurposed old iPads as smart home command centers, but the iPad isn’t custom built for this role. It doesn’t run an OS optimized for the task.
HomePad, by contrast, will be.
Its 7-inch square display will sit on your kitchen counter, or attach to your fridge, or sit on a console table, and serve as a dedicated physical controller for your smart home.
Some users are totally fine controlling their home accessories with Siri—and can continue doing so.
Top comment by Doug
I find it unlikely but maybe Apple has some better vision than I do. My concern is if this is sort of an iPad thing, how expensive will it be and if it is a speaker how strong will it be? Pricing is not Apple's strong suit and this device needs Apple Intelegence or it is likely dead on arrival.
Every design of this is ether too compromised or too expensive. Apple has a 10" home hub that costs around $300 and it is an entry level iPad. This will ether have to be much better than an iPad in function or sound or something or it will never fly.
But for a lot of non-techies especially, the ability to see and touch a physical controller will be a key addition.
Then, if Apple makes HomePad affordable enough to place several throughout your home, you’ll have convenient smart home command centers at the ready wherever you are.
Home hubs with displays have long been available from Amazon and Google, but for Apple Home users, the HomePad should finally give us what we’ve been waiting for.
Do you plan to use HomePad as a smart accessory command center? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
Best HomeKit smart home accessories
- TP-Link Tapo 2K camera with HomeKit Secure Video
- Smart air purifier with Matter
- HomeKit Garage Door Opener
- HomeKit smart plug 4-pack
- ecobee smart thermostat
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