Apple has been forced to push back the launch of its long-awaited smart home display as the company continues to grapple with its artificial intelligence strategy, reports Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The device, internally known as J490, was originally slated for a spring 2025 release but has faced multiple postponements while engineers work to complete a revamped version of Siri. Sources say Apple had most recently aimed for a release this month, but further delays in making the voice assistant work reliably have pushed the launch to September.
While the physical device has reportedly been finished for several months, it cannot ship without the new Siri, which serves as the core of its user interface. The display is described as a square, iPad-like screen that can be wall-mounted or attached to a speaker base, designed to act as a central AI hub for the home.
People familiar with the product say its biggest feature is a facial recognition system that allows the hub to identify individual family members and automatically display their personalized calendars, notes, and music preferences.
Insiders claim that a new Apple TV and an updated HomePod are ready for production but are being held back because they are tied to the same unfinished Siri AI capabilities.
Apple is now targeting a fall rollout for the smart home hub to coincide with the release of the iPhone 18 Pro and iOS 27, when it hopes the new Siri will finally be ready for public use. What’s coming first? AI Siri or GTA 6?
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