- Reports suggest Apple is making new devices for your smart home
- One device could borrow a design element from the iMac G4
- A second product could have a screen mounted on a moving ‘robot’ limb
Rumors have been going around for a few months now that Apple is working on a new smart home device that will combine one of the best smart displays with a base that houses a speaker. Now, new details have emerged and it looks like this device could be very reminiscent of a classic Mac design from over twenty years ago.
That’s because Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has claimed in his argument latest Power On newsletter that not only is Apple making progress with this device, but it will feature a design that bears striking similarities to the 2002 iMac G4.
This computer had a screen attached to a movable arm, while the entire setup was mounted on a circular base.
As for the smart home device, Gurman says the screen is “placed at an angle on a small base, reminiscent of the rounded bottom of the iMac G4 from a few decades ago.”
A ‘HomePod with a screen’
But before we get too carried away with the fact that Apple is bringing back a beloved design from yesteryear, there are apparently some notable differences between the designs of the two products.
For starters, Gurman seems to be describing a screen mounted to the base, rather than a movable screen at the end of an articulated arm, as the iMac G4 was famous for. Additionally, Gurman likens the device to a “HomePod with a screen,” which isn’t unlike the iMac G4.
That said, Gurman also says that Apple is working on a second, more expensive home device that could be a lot closer in appearance to Apple’s classic Mac. This product, Gurman says, will have a larger screen that is “controlled via a robotic arm,” which is very similar to the iMac G4’s screen. But Gurman doesn’t mention a basis for this device, suggesting it could be designed more for videoconferencing.
Both devices are designed to be used to control smart home accessories, make video calls, and watch movies and TV shows. The first device – the one with an iMac G4-like base – should hit the market next year, Gurman says. The second product, meanwhile, is coming in 2026 and will cost around $1,000 (about £770 / AU$1,500). If they prove successful, both could help Apple take a new direction and gain a stronger position in the smart home world.