Apple has long been rumour to be working on a smart place control tablet , which many have dubbed “ HomePad . ” The gimmick will reportedly boast a new port that allow user curb their impudent home accessories , view relevant data like the temperature and weather , FaceTime their contacts , and more . It wo n’t have an App Store , it is say but will feature purpose - driven Apple apps and services .
While the company does n’t typically acknowledge unreleased project publicly , the raw Food section in the Apple News app and other iOS 18.4 changes all but confirm the HomePad is on the way .
The UIs have it
Upon recruit the recipe catalog on my iPad for the first clock time , I was instantly struck by its user interface . The tab sport gigantic button with noticeably large touch target not seen in other native iPad apps . It feels like an data-based sneak peek of the HomePad ’s interface rather than software specifically designed for the iPad .
After originate a random recipe , the steps were display in huge typography on my iPad . The text is massive , and I could easily translate it from across the way . It ’s almost like the UI belongs to a Cartesian product you ’d mount to a wall or rest on the counter , not a pill you hold in your hands .
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Voice commands will be critical to HomePad, so Apple can’t launch it with the improved Siri so far away.
The well - retrieve - out view is n’t limited to oversized elements . When following a formula , you may quickly start a timekeeper by hitting the mentioned duration in the direction . This consider the Clock app and Siri out of the mental process and makes it a one - tap feature — perfect when following along with a formula . The effectuation is priceless to cooks ; when your hands are covered in messy ingredients , you could effortlessly tap the display with your wrist , knuckle , or olfactory organ to pop out a timer .
Baking in the frameworks
Beyond the drug user - facing Food section , the latest betas ofiOS , iPadOS , and tvOS 18.4include a few under - the - hood pinch that further point to an at hand HomePad launch . Starting with tvOS , the latest prerelease physical body take in the ChatKit model that handles some iMessage features . Given that Apple television set and HomePods do n’t offer the Messages app , it ’s almost certain that the execution is designed for the HomePad . After all , the overbold habitation hub will likely lam a modified version of tvOS that unlock iOS - similar features not available on the Apple TV , such as texting .
Similarly , Io 18.4 introduces a novel CookingKit framework that could impart more formula - related feature at the system layer . So , for example , substance abuser may be able-bodied to explore for a specific formula by searching for an ingredient in Spotlight . This proves that the Food section in Apple News is n’t just a minor addition that the ship’s company will later disregard . It ’s build an intact system around it , potentially committing to serious development and upgrades in the number geezerhood . Yet again , this suggests the HomePad is on the horizon , as its assistance in the kitchen is expect to be one of its key selling distributor point .
The iOS 18.4 beta also cite a new rest home category in Apple ’s Cartesian product lineup , further indicating the HomePad release is right around the street corner .
Voice commands will be critical to HomePad, so Apple can’t launch it with the improved Siri so far away.
Spicing up Siri
With iOS 18.4 beta , Apple also add a ton of new activity to the Shortcuts app , providing users with gritty control over organization apps and lay the groundwork for a big Siri update . When Apple ’s virtual assistant adopts the new App Intents , users will be able to almost fully control apps via voice mastery . This will tie well with Apple News ’ Food department on the HomePad , as you ’ll in all probability be able to have Siri initiate the bundled timers and scroll through the steps instead of awkwardly pink with your olfactory organ when your hand are invade or walking to the bulwark where it ’s hop on .
The new Siri will play a big role in the HomePad since it is potential to to a great extent rely on hands - free stimulus . Siri in its current form is n’t sassy or muscular enough to run a gimmick like HomePad , but an update version is on the way . It was hypothesize to launch this spring , but now that the great Siri upgrades have been pushed back to “ the upcoming class , ” Apple is likely to delay the HomePad as well . HomePad needs to coincide with a time when Apple can at least forebode the new Siri is “ coming before long , ” which mean a fall tone ending at the early .
Something is coming
iOS 18.4 proves that the HomePad is no longer just a theoretic gimmick or prototype lying in some cloak-and-dagger Apple basement . The troupe ’s latest software update share as - close - to - concrete evidence that the project is actively being built , and its sack could realistically follow before the year - end .
other rumors pointed to a spring liberation , but the recent Siri delays may have reportedlybumped that backto later in the twelvemonth . A spring launch would now mean the HomePad does n’t let in the hotly anticipatedSiri featuresand that ’s unbelievable to bump . What ’s more , Apple is expected to insert the biggest figure and interface renovation in years wheniOS 19andmacOS 16are relinquish this fall . That new design , which will reportedly streamline the interface across devices , could debut in HomePad , but with the Siri delays , it makes more sense to set up the HomePad closer to when iOS 19 arrives .
Beyond the Food plane section in Apple News , the specific frameworks in iOS and tvOS , as well as the resolution of the Home gadget category in the codification , reveal that the HomePad ’s first official preview is come near . One theory is a WWDC uncover in June , with shipping in the autumn . Apple could also bring out HomePad at its September iPhone event ( though theiPhone 17appears to be a large - than - common launching ) . Or perhaps Apple will bear a consecrated sassy home event in October in the slot usually reserved for Macs .
But whenever it go far , thanks to iOS 18.4 we know one affair for certain : Apple is working on something big .
Voice commands will be critical to HomePad, so Apple can’t launch it with the improved Siri so far away.
