Apple may launch two smart home displays with new OS: Expected price, features and more

Apple is reportedly developing two new smart displays that will run a new operating system called “homeOS,” essentially marking a push into the smart home market. These products may include a tabletop device with screen and limb, and a low-end iPad-like smart display for using FaceTime.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on two devices: One is a high-end device that combines a large, iPad-like display with a robotic arm and is codenamed J595.This device is expected to be priced at over $1,000 and is still in the early stages of development.
The second, codenamed J490, is a more affordable smart display designed for video calls using FaceTime and controlling smart home appliances. It is expected to launch as early as next year. The low-end smart display is expected to support apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home, with an interface optimised for controlling smart home appliances and displaying information.

Gurman says that both devices will be powered by Apple's in-house AI technology, known as Apple Intelligence, and will run the new homeOS operating system, which is based on tvOS.
“The Apple Intelligence tools will be at the heart of both products, helping the company bring AI into the home. Its current home lineup — the Apple TV, HomePod and HomePod mini — doesn’t have the hardware needed to run AI models on the devices themselves,” Gurman added in his newsletter.
Apple envisions eventually merging tvOS and homeOS to create a unified operating system for all its home devices, as per the newsletter. Prototypes have explored features like magnetically attaching the device to walls or sitting atop a desk.