As new details on Apple’s smart home hub leak out, the device is shaping up to be something that’ll attract plenty of customers. On Thursday, it was revealed that the device will have a front-facing camera with Center Stage, making it ideal for making FaceTime calls.
Previous reports indicate that it’s designed to be the centerpiece of a smart home, not only controlling smart accessories but also displaying shared calendars and answering questions, thanks to the improved version of Siri now in development.
This could be a flagship product in a fresh push by Apple into smart home technology.
Apple’s ‘HomePad’ smart home hub starts to look interesting
The adoption of smart home technology is rapidly accelerating worldwide, driven by the promise of enhanced convenience, security and energy efficiency. Integration of the so-called internet of things and artificial intelligence allows devices — from smart thermostats and lighting to security cameras and robovacs — to communicate and learn user habits. The goal is to transition homes into truly intelligent environments.
But all of that tech needs a hub — central device where everything can be managed. Apple is apparently going to introduce just such a product in 2026.
Rumors about a device that resembles the merger of an iPad and a HomePod — it often gets called “HomePad” — have been circulating for some time. It supposedly has the code name J490.
That device gets mentioned in pre-release iOS 26 code recently obtained by MacWorld, revealing that it’ll include “a front-facing ultra-wide camera with Center Stage.” This Apple tech lets the camera follow someone making a video call, as though the camera were moving on its own. It’s a brilliant feature included in some iPad models, plus the iPhone 17 series.
With it, someone could make a FaceTime call while cooking, and the device would keep the focus on them … hands-free.
The same camera will supposedly help enable Face ID, Apple’s facial recognition tech that makes it easy for users to unlock their device automatically just by looking at them.
More Apple smart home hub rumors
To handle the smart home hub, Apple reportedly developed a new, household-focused operating system designed for shared use by multiple family members, complete with widgets, clock faces and apps like Calendar, Music and Notes.
As a result, the HomePad could live in a family’s kitchen, keeping everyone organized with shared calendars and grocery lists. Users could watch videos with cooking tips without needing to hold their iPhone or iPad. Or they could enjoy a TV show while washing up after dinner. Plus, the device serves as a smart speaker for listening to music or podcasts.
According to MacWorld, the J490 will run on the Apple A18 processor originally from the iPhone 16 series. That’s a chip powerful enough for Apple Intelligence.
Speaking of which, the new, AI-powered version of the Siri voice assistant will be a key component of the HomePad. Actually, Apple’s rumored home hub was supposed to come to market in early 2025, but the lengthy delay of the Siri upgrade pushed back the device’s debut.
Apple’s smart home hub — which probably won’t actually be called HomePad — is expected to launch at the same time as the revamped Siri. That means sometime next spring, along with iOS 26.4. The hub is likely to cost about $350.
The company is also reportedly working on a simpler, cheaper version, code-named J491. This is meant to be hung on a wall.
Apple’s smart home hopes
The search is on for new products to bolster Apple’s bottom line. The iPhone is the company’s cash cow, bringing in billions every quarter, but there’s little room for growth. Cupertino needs popular new products to increase its revenue.
Clearly, the company’s last big attempt to break into a new market, the Vision Pro AR/VR headset, isn’t going to accomplish that any time soon, so Apple apparently turned to smart home products. The company’s actually operated in this space for years with HomeKit — a platform that allows iPhones, iPads, etc. to control lights, fans and other appliances. And now the Matter standard has the potential to make home automation easier than ever, boosting interoperability and breaking down barriers between competing product lines.
The two versions of the smart home hub could be the first in a series of new smart home products. There’ve been rumors of an Apple-branded smart doorbell, for example.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
