Apple will release an “iPad on a stem” or a “HomePod with a screen” later than expected

Apple’s smart display, sometimes called the “HomePod with a screen” or the “iPad on a stem,” is rumored to not go on sale until the third quarter of next year. Its release was previously scheduled for March 2025. The smart display based on the A18 chip, which powers the current iPhone 16 line, will have a 6- or 7-inch screen. The screen proportions are expected to be close to square, and the device will be equipped with a magnetic wall mount.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, having studied Apple’s supply chain, concluded that the unannounced smart home display will not be available until the third quarter of 2025, and not in March, as previously expected.

According to Kuo, Apple could ship between 500,000 and a million smart displays by the end of next year. This device should help Apple expand its penetration of the smart home technology market. In addition to a relatively affordable smart display in a tablet form factor, Apple plans to include a more expensive desktop device with built-in cameras and a screen controlled by a robotic arm.

Bloomberg claims that the operating system for the smart display will be homeOS, based on tvOS from Apple TV. Apple’s Smart Display will work with apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home and support Apple Intelligence, something Apple’s HomePods smart speakers currently lack.