The iPad-like device, which will reportedly be available as soon as next March, has a six-inch display with thick edges, a built-in camera, a rechargeable battery, and speakers, according to Gurman. The plan is to have Siri and Apple Intelligence voice control support as well.

This description sounds a lot like the Google Home Hub, which came out in 2018, or the Echo Show, which is already up to its eighth iteration. If Apple wants to be a serious competitor in this smart home space, it'll have to prove to customers that it has something to offer that these more established brands and products don't.

Apple is gearing up to announce a new smart home hub, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As early as March 2025, the iPhone maker could release a tablet that mounts to your wall, control smart home appliances,

The product, code-named J490, could be announced as early as March, the report said, adding that it will spotlight the new AI platform, Apple Intelligence. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Gurman describes the device as a square iPad with a 6-inch screen, “about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display.” He says it has a camera at the top front, a rechargeable built-in battery,