Apple is 'targeting' a steep price for its 2026 home hub and an even steeper one for its 2027 robot
There are at least two first-of-a-kind smart home devices Apple is reportedly preparing to release over the next couple of years, and you're probably not going to like their prices.
While we continue to wait for this week's rumored announcements of a new iPad Pro generation with little to no design changes and an even more powerful MacBook Pro than what many of you already use for your daily computing needs, several more distant Apple products are getting a bunch of interesting details prematurely revealed by one of the most trustworthy industry insiders out there.
That oft-delayed Siri-powered smart display is finally coming... in 2026
If I had a dollar for every rumored launch target Apple allegedly set and then missed for its first HomePod with a screen, I'd have three bucks in my pocket right now, which isn't much, but it's pretty weird that that happened not twice, but thrice already.
Apple's first home hub with a screen will have to take on the larger and cheaper new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11. | Image Credit -- Amazon
Apparently "completed nearly a year ago", the Amazon Echo Show rival was "originally slated for a March 2025 debut" (at least according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman), subsequently moving in and out of June and October timeframes. Of course, the month of October is not over yet, but I highly doubt someone like Gurman would report on Apple's latest delay (especially at this time and in this fashion) if there was even a remote possibility the product could see daylight this year.
So, yes, the current plan is probably to unveil the 7-inch display-rocking home hub at some point next spring to coincide with the launch of a "revamped version" of Siri. That was actually the reason behind the smart display's multiple delays, as it too was originally planned to go official in the spring of 2025, slipping further and further down the line as Apple decided to take more time to perfect the expanded AI functionality in the face of rising competition from the likes of ChatGPT, Alexa, and Gemini.
The price(s) may not be right
As hard as Apple has reportedly tried to reduce the home hub's production costs in recent months, this is currently tipped to fetch "around $350" in the US when it eventually goes on sale.
That wouldn't exactly be a very competitive price in a market dominated by cheaper devices like the $90 Echo Show 5 and $150 Echo Show 8, especially with the hot new Echo Show 11 setting you back $220 and even the gargantuan Echo Show 15 going for $300... before relatively frequent discounts.
Are you excited about Apple's first HomePod with a screen?
Very much so
33.33%
Moderately
0%
Not at all
66.67%
I was, but it's already too late
0%
I was, but that price sounds too high
0%
Obviously, Apple will have to rely on the loyalty of its longtime users and the sophistication of the new underlying software that led to the smart display's postponement to 2026 for the product to succeed, but that former factor was clearly not enough to offset the extravagant price of the "standard" non-screen-sporting HomePod.
Following this potentially overpriced first-of-a-kind home hub with a screen, Apple is reportedly planning to release an unprecedented indoor security camera (presumably, to rival Amazon's Blink line), as well as a so-called "tabletop robot" with a motorized arm.
You don't really think Apple will rival the affordability of the Blink Mini 2, now, do you? | Image Credit -- Amazon
The first security camera could become a commercial reality "as soon as the end of next year" at an unspecified price, while the robot, which is described as similar in its essence to the home hub display, will probably come at a price in the "several-hundred dollar range."
That doesn't sound very encouraging, but it was definitely to be expected from a highly advanced gadget with not just a bigger 9-inch touchscreen in tow, but also the ability to follow you around your house to fulfil various complex tasks. As you can imagine, this thing is still not very close to production, currently eyeing a 2027 release... that I fully expect to be further delayed.
What exactly is Apple trying to do here?
Whether you find the idea of having a little Apple-branded motorized helper in the kitchen neat or creepy, it's pretty obvious that the company is looking for new revenue streams and untapped market segments for the so-called "post-iPhone era" so many analysts have heralded for so many years.
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No one knows how Apple's smart home robot will look, so here's a picture of beloved Pixar character Wall-E instead. | Image Credit -- Disney
With the Vision Pro not finding the consumer response the tech giant undoubtedly anticipated, it may finally be time for Apple to take the smart home industry more seriously. Unfortunately, the first Siri-powered home hub is likely to arrive too late and (far) too costly to move Amazon out of its comfortable dominant position.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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