Apple's first smart screen could still launch this year — but you'll have to wait for the robotic version

Tom's Guide

7 days ago

Last October, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote that Apple was planning two distinct smart screens to stake a bigger claim in the connected-home market. Now, in the Q&A section of his latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman has provided an update.
The good news is that the devices are a 'major priority' for Apple as 'part of its scramble to make AI-centric devices'. The bad news is that the company's ongoing issues with Siri development have caused problems that will likely delay the more interesting model with its robotic arm, and possibly see some features being stripped out of the basic version, too.
'The company wants to get this device to market as soon as possible, but there's been a snag,' Gurman writes, explaining that while the more basic J490 screen could still arrive by the end of this year, 'it remains up in the air' thanks to 'problems with Siri'.
After the J490 is out of the door, Apple will turn its attention to the J595 — a far more ambitious version, where a smart display can 'move around a person's desk on the end of a robotic arm'. This is expected 'a year or two later', meaning we're looking at a release at some point between the end of next year and 2028, depending on just how delayed J490 is.
Even with this delay, J595 may not be as ambitious as originally intended. While Gurman claims that the device will ship with its own 'unique AI personality', his sources have stated that Apple has 'pulled some bolder features' in order to ensure it reaches the market as fast as possible. These features, whatever they are, could 'reappear in subsequent models'.
So what will these devices be like when they finally emerge?
According to Gurman's original report, J490 will be an 'affordable iPad-like screen' with a price point that might attract consumers to install a few around their houses. Indeed, Apple has reportedly tested prototypes with magnets for wall mounting.
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It sounds a lot like Amazon's Echo Show smart screen, but naturally with a focus on the Apple ecosystem. Think streaming Apple TV Plus, making FaceTime calls and accessing planning apps such as Calendar and Notes via a new operating system called homeOS (based on tvOS that powers Apple TV).
J595, meanwhile, will be aimed at power users, priced at 'perhaps around $1,000'. The screen would be 'positioned atop a swivelling robotic arm', with a 'focus on home security monitoring, advanced videoconferencing and media playback with high-quality audio.'
As well as the aforementioned AI personality, the device would utilize Apple Intelligence to assess its surroundings, who's interacting with it and what they're doing.
Like the Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub, both devices will also allow users to control their smart home appliances easily. Still, Apple Intelligence will apparently 'offer home automation on steroids' while providing 'precise control of applications, devices and media'.
J595 is undoubtedly the more interesting-sounding product, but it wouldn't be the first robotic smart screen. It may be the first mainstream one, however: while Amazon released its $1,499 Astro robot in 2021, four years later, it's still only available in the United States via an invitation.