Apple’s ongoing struggle to roll out Apple Intelligence features in a timely fashion is having knock-on effects elsewhere in the company’s product roadmap. Following news that the new Siri will be delayed even further, a new report claims the long-rumored smart home hub has also been postponed because the Siri features it was intended to be based around are not yet ready for action.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman claims the device, currently code-named J490 and expected to combine an iPad-like screen with smart-home controls, has been pushed back as a direct result of delays afflicting new Siri features. “At one point, Gurman writes, “the company had hoped to announce this product in March. But because the device, to an extent, relies on the delayed Siri capabilities, it has been postponed as well.”
On the positive side, he adds that Apple has begun an internal testing program for the hub, which implies progress of sorts. Somewhat more ominously, he says the program involves “select” members of Apple staff being permitted to take prototypes of the device home for testing and feedback… which may remind readers of the remote working practices during COVID that reportedly led to more leaks than the company usually experiences. Ever since then, Apple has been very keen on workers turning up at the office wherever possible.
Last week we reported on major delays afflicting Siri, the only Apple Intelligence feature everyone wanted. Apple Intelligence covers a wide range of functions but the most appealing for many people (including the writer of this article) was the promise that it would make Siri more accurate, conversational, context-sensitive, and intuitive to use. But it now seems likely that the revamped Siri will be delayed until the iOS 19 cycle, and very likely won’t be fully rolled out until an update in 2026.
Apple is reportedly exploring multiple projects in this area. Last fall it was reported that there were two products on the way: J490, described as a “low-end smart display for using FaceTime and controlling home appliances,” and J595, an iPad-like display with a tabletop robotic limb that is expected to arrive much later.
This isn’t the first time the iPad-screen-plus-home-controls project has hit a road bump. Last December, well before the current issues arose, we discussed the multiple delays and endless waiting for what was then understood to be essentially a HomePod with an iPad screen.
“At this point,” I wrote at the time, “as is often the case with tech products that have been delayed multiple times, we have to start wondering if it will ever launch.” Apple clearly views the smart-home market as a priority, but this latest postponement is unlikely to dispel such doubts.