- It will have a square aspect ratio with rounded corners and a 6-inch (diagonal) display.
- It won’t have a battery, relying instead on USB-C for power.
- It will have a metal, round base with perforated holes for the speakers and microphones.
- It will attaches to the countertop base via a polished metal arm, “reminiscent” of the classic iMac G4.
- It will have a single front-facing FaceTime camera.
Additionally, the device is said to run on a new operating system that combines the “StandBy” type widgets and display of the iPhone, screens and faces like the Apple Watch, and some of the media capabilities of Apple TV. A secondary version that mounts to a wall is said to be in the works, too.
There will be clocks and photo displays, off course, but the device will primarily control smart home devices via a Home app of sorts, and include Apple Music, Calendar, Podcasts, Messages, FaceTime, News, Notes, and Reminders. There is no reported mention of an App Store, so it appears as though this is an accessory rather than a standalone platform.
A core feature is said to be user recognition. Since this is meant to be stationary in your home and not portable, it has to work for all the people in your house. So it recognizes people via their face and voice, and then customizes the display to their own preferences, showing their own data and accessing their own calendar, notes, reminders, and so on.
But if you’re expecting an iPad-like experience, think again.
A tiny 6-inch display
Apple sites like ours have been reporting on this so-called HomePad for ages. Apple has had it more or less ready to go for a long time, but it will rely on Siri for use, and Siri only just got its big brain transplant, so the home hub has sat on the back burner. We’ve largely envisioned a larger device that can act as a centerpiece of a room, something like an iPad or a small iMac.
But based on the latest rumors, most of the renders and mock-ups you see online have the scale all wrong, and it may have given you the wrong impression of its size.
