Apple’s long rumoured home hub could finally be close to be being announced alongside the updated new Siri coming in iOS 26.4. This is on the back of recent rumours about a Siri chatbot expected to arrive with iOS 27
According to Wayne Ma at The Information, Apple is working on a home product with a small display, speakers, and a robotic swivelling base, with a heavy emphasis on AI features. The report claims it could be released as soon as this spring.
That swivelling base detail is new. Up to now, most of the credible information has pointed to Apple developing two versions of the hub: one designed to be wall mounted, and another intended for a countertop or desk, using a speaker style base more like a HomePod mini.
The wording also overlaps with how Mark Gurman has described Apple’s longer term “tabletop robot” concept, which is expected to feature an iPad like display on a thin robotic arm that can tilt and rotate, repositioning itself to face whoever is speaking and delivering what he called a more “visual personality”. That’s why the swivelling base detail is so interesting.
While the report doesn’t go into detail on how the base would be used, the most plausible purpose is it could allow the display to rotate automatically and face the user. That becomes even more believable when you consider previous leaks suggesting the home hub may include an array of sensors and a front facing camera for FaceTime.
HomePad arrival?
The report claims Apple will unveil the home hub this spring, positioning it as the centre of Apple’s smart home push: a dedicated control screen for Apple Home accessories and a true hands free Siri station, with deeper Apple services integration than an iPad can manage. And if AI is the priority, as Ma suggests, it would make sense to tie it to the upgraded Siri arriving with iOS 26.4 later this year, because the real win isn’t the screen, it’s the context: people, rooms, and routines.
