Apple’s highly anticipated smart home display might take a bit longer to arrive than everyone hoped. The tech giant plans to push the launch of the new device back to late 2026. Gurman expects Apple to finally reveal the product in September, alongside its usual fall gadget lineup.
The reason for the delay appears to be software, not hardware. Sources claim the physical device has actually been finished for months. However, Apple is reportedly waiting until it can finish a massive, AI-powered overhaul of its Siri voice assistant before releasing the new screen to the public.
This smart home display, secretly known as project J490, has been one of Apple’s worst-kept secrets. Rumors about a HomePod speaker attached to a touchscreen first started swirling way back in 2022. Since then, the tech world has repeatedly heard that the device was just around the corner. Most recently, analysts predicted Apple would finally announce it this spring, perhaps as early as this month.
Unfortunately, Apple’s ongoing struggles with artificial intelligence seem to have thrown a wrench in those plans. The company has spent over a year trying to inject more advanced AI into Siri as part of its broader “Apple Intelligence” strategy. Right now, Apple is scrambling to catch up with rivals like Google and OpenAI, who have already released powerful AI tools to the public.
By pushing the smart display to September, Apple aligns the launch with its next major smartphone release, the iPhone 18 Pro. This timing suggests Apple wants its newly revamped, chatbot-style Siri to debut across all its new hardware at the same time.
While customers will have to wait until fall to buy the device, we might get a sneak peek much sooner. Gurman suggests Apple could show off the new and improved Siri during its big WWDC software event this summer, giving developers and fans a taste of what’s to come.
