Apple developing tablet-like home hub

Bloomberg correspondent Mark Gurman has said that Apple is developing an unusual accessory for iPad tablets, which will be presented "as soon as 2023".

"I reported last year that Apple is exploring a stand-alone device that combines an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on a kitchen counter, in the living room or on their nightstand. But Apple also has worked on an iPad docking accessory that it could sell separately and would accomplish much of the same thing," he said.

According to Gurman, regardless of its ultimate approach, the move would mark one of Apple’s most significant pushes into smart-home devices, expanding on its still small foothold in set-top boxes and speakers. It already offers the Apple TV and HomePod, but nothing that rivals the Echo Show from Amazon.com Inc. or Google's latest efforts, the analyst added.

"Apple also continues to work on an updated version of the HomePod that would be larger than the product’s mini version and a combined Apple TV and smart-speaker device with a camera for FaceTime and other functions. Until those are ready, though, the 12-year-old iPad could be the company’s best bet in making some noise in the smart-home space," he said.

"The new products will put a bow on a fairly significant year for Apple, which released the Apple Watch Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro, Mac Studio and new iPhone SE in 2022. But I think next year will even bigger, with the mixed-reality headset, larger MacBook Air, iPhone changes and more home devices all on the way," Gurman added.