Apple would prepare several new products for the connected home, including an original support for iPad, which would transform the tablet into a home automation center allowing to control all connected objects. Arrival expected in 2023.
2022 is certainly a rich year for Apple, with the arrival of the new M1 and M2 Smart Macs (Mac Studio, MacBook Air M2, etc.), iPhone 14s (including the famous and very expensive iPhone 14 Pro Max), Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra or even iOS 16 (with its lock screen and its amazing Dynamic Island). And there is no question of slowing down the pace since, according to the predictions of Mark Gurman, a journalist from Bloomberg always well informed, the apple firm is about to announce the release of a new iPad Pro equipped with an M2 chip with a new version of iPadOS, while tweaking a new entry-level tablet, with a USB-C port and a design that would approach that of the iPad Pro. Better still, it would seem that Apple has big ambitions for its flagship tablet – unquestionably the most successful on the market. Still according to Gurman, the iPad could benefit from a dock, a new original accessory that would transform it into a real control center for the connected home. A way to expand its home automation ecosystem and compete with its main competitors in the field, Amazon and Google!
iPad Dock: a very clever tablet support
According to Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a dock – a support, in French – to transform the iPad into a control center for connected objects – bulbs, speakers, TV, sockets, doorbells… Once placed on it , the tablet would approach the Google Nest Hub and the Amazon Echo Show. This concept of a tablet that can be used as a hub is reminiscent of that of the Pixel Tablet, unveiled at the Made by Google 22 conference. magnetic – and recharge the battery using a wireless device. In addition to providing a more powerful speaker, this base will transform the Pixel Tablet into a “hands-free” screen, to be placed – in the kitchen, living room or bedside table, for example – in order to control the connected objects of the home. In short, the tablet becomes a Nest Hub.
The new Apple device would therefore use the same principle. Parker Ortolani, manager at The Verge, relied on the information provided by the Bloomberg journalist to realize 3D renderings of the support – it is therefore an imagined version, which may have nothing to do with the final rendering. Called HomeDock, it would be compatible with MagSafe – Apple’s wireless charging system – and would house an audio system. The tablet interface would switch from iPadOS to an interface similar to that of tvOS – the operating system of Apple TV – as soon as the device is placed on the stand.
Apple home automation: accessories to complete an ecosystem
But this dock would not be the only home automation accessory that Apple would have in the boxes. Indeed, the journalist had already reported last year that the firm was working on a standalone device that combines an iPad with speakers, and which would be compatible with the voice assistant Siri. A kind of combination between a tablet, a HomePod and an Apple TV. “The idea is to offer something that users can place on a kitchen counter, in the living room, or on their bedside table.“, explains Mark Gurman. The dock would therefore be an alternative since it would be sold separately. Finally, Apple would also prepare a new version of the HomePod, which would be larger than the HomePod mini and which would combine Apple TV and smart speaker with a camera for FaceTime and other functions. Most of these projects should arrive during the year 2023, which promises to be decidedly busy for the teams of Tim Cook, the boss of the Cupertino company!
