Home Hub may not ship until iOS 19 launches
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple's expected new Home Hub device has been delayed until after WWDC in June 2025.
An artist's rendition of a HomePod with a display
Variously called a Home Hub or a HomePod with a screen, this new device is expected to be a smart home controller that might in fact resemble an iPad. Whatever it's ultimately called, code references to what appear to be it were found in February 2024, and a display manufacturer was reportedly selected in January 2025.
One of the few consistent predictions about the device is that it is forever six months away, and one recent report claimed it would now launch in late 2025. Now Ming-Chi Kuo's new claim on Twitter backs that up, and says the delay is because of continuing problems with software development.
"Three months ago, I predicted that mass production of the new display-equipped HomePod would slip from 1Q25 to 3Q25 (after WWDC) due to software development issues," he writes. "Beyond Apple Intelligence, the issues also involve ensuring the HomePod's interface aligns with new OS updates (like iOS 19) set to roll out across other devices in 2H25."
"This alignment is essential for seamlessly integrating new products into Apple's ecosystem," concludes Kuo.
Apple is certainly delaying elements of iOS, having acknowledged that Apple Intelligence features in Siri are taking longer than expected. It's also reportedly preparing a dramatic redesign of both iOS and macOS for announcement at WWDC 2025.
So it's more than possible that work on a Home Hub's software has been postponed while Apple's developers concentrate on Apple Intelligence, iOS 19, and macOS 16. It would also be peculiar if the Home Hub launched with the look of iOS 18 if iOS 19 is truly that distinctively different.
Yet saying that Apple has delayed the Home Hub until after WWDC doesn't make sense. While iOS 19 will be announced in June, it won't be released publicly until September, or possible even October.
Kuo does also say that the Home Hub will come out in the third quarter, and that does end on September 30, 2025. So rather than implying Apple would ever release something that required beta software, Kuo could mean that the launch will be right at the end of the quarter.
Except that is when the iPhone 17 range will be announced too. Apple does use that event to raise awareness of other devices, most often the Apple Watch, so it could bundle the Home Hub into that announcement.
Only, that iPhone 17 event is expected to introduce a new, slimmer iPhone to the range. So Apple is more likely to be making the iPhone 17 Slim the focus of its spotlight.
Kuo has also been predicting the imminent launch of a HomePod with screen since 2024. Also, while the analyst previously had a strong track record of accuracy, in the last couple of years he has making claims that often appear to be solely speculation.
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Comments
just do an iPad dock.
I love my Nest Hub but mostly as a digital photo frame. It is fantastic for that. But I would prefer my personal photo's were not stored with Google.
And it is good as a kitchen timer.
But generally as a 'hub' it performs quite poorly. So I am hopeful Apple will do better.
I do wonder what a 'hub' is meant to be these days though. It is a bit of a nebulous and overused term.
Otherwise, the barrier to implementing Apple's next generation replacement for HomeKit could be insurmountable. While customers have become accustomed to replacing individual devices every so many years, the idea that every existing HomePod and AppleTV would have to be replaced before a customer could reliably use the new AI-powered functionality is just too much.
A significant challenge for HomeKit all along has been the implicit costs of being able to conveniently control HomeKit devices from anywhere in the home. If you can't do that, the whole system becomes frustrating and annoying as it fails to work. Being able to tell Siri to set a scene that turns on the lights, opens the blinds and starts up the coffee maker all means nothing if you've left your phone downstairs in the den next to your one $400 OG HomePod.
In fact, I think the withdrawal of the OG HomePod was specifically because of this. The $350-$400 price tag of OG HomePods was a huge barrier, slowing adoption of HomeKit. Apple eventually introduced the less expensive HomePod Mini, but some customers weren't buying those because they wanted the better sounding OG HomePods, but they were also still slow to buy multiples of those, because they were significantly more expensive. People weren't buying enough HomePods to make verbal control of HomeKit devices viable. This stifled demand for HomeKit capable devices, which lowered interest among third-party manufacturers to even make Apple-compatible devices.
To make HomeKit viable, Apple needed customers to buy three or four minis to distribute through the house instead of one OG HomePod (or two to make a great stereo pair) for listening to music in the den. So Apple pretended to cancel the OG HomePod line in order to leave customers with only one choice. At $99, people were more likely to buy several minis, which then increased the number of homes where you could be anywhere in the house and ask Siri to turn on the lights or to set a scene.
Now Apple is at another inflection point where AI can make controlling home devices more intuitive and more reliable, but none of Apple's existing home devices are capable of running AI. If the new hub can deliver AI capability to all those existing devices while also adding some comparatively inexpensive Home control terminal screens, adoption of the new 'Apple Home' ecosystem could be rapid, and could even quickly surpass the competition by making the whole home control system into something that just works.
Hell, look at Zoom video conferencing. It took off because it was far less fussy than other video conferencing competitors.
Remember that no one wants to get off the couch, walk to some wall-mounted terminal and fidget through a couple of menus just to dim the lights. That makes no sense. Heck, there's a dimmer switch that controls the two main lights in my living room. I can simply reach over with one hand and adjust.
Everything must go through the phone (or maybe smartwatch) because those are the two devices that people gladly carry on their person. There's no logic trying to wean people from their smartphones. PEOPLE LOVE BEING ATTACHED TO THEIR PHONE.
So yeah, it's useful.