Apple has long been rumoured to be developing a new smart home hub as the latest addition to the company’s portfolio of smart home products. The purported product’s launch was recently reported to face delays due to struggles faced by the Cupertino-based technology giant in developing a more advanced version of Siri, whose capabilities it may largely depend upon. However, it may not be the only reason. According to the latest claims by an industry analyst, iOS 19’s recently reported radically new design may also be a contributing factor.
iOS 19 Delays Smart Home Hub Launch
According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has pushed the launch of the purported smart home hub beyond the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025. This is attributed to the redesign which iOS 19, Apple’s next iteration of the iPhone operating system (OS), is expected to undergo. At the same conference, the iPhone maker is also likely to showcase iOS 19 and its advancements.
The company is speculated to have plans of aligning the user interfaces across all devices in Apple’s ecosystem, including the purported smart home hub.
This builds upon a previous claim by the same analyst who suggested that the mass production of the aforementioned device may slip from Q1 2025 to Q3 2025. It was previously suspected that Apple’s now-officially delayed development of a more advanced version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence, was a major factor. The smart home hub was reported to depend upon the capabilities of the AI assistant.
However, Kuo’s claims suggest that delays related to Siri may not be the only reason behind the postponed launch of the purported product. Until it launches, Apple was reported to have commenced an internal home testing programme which allows select employees to take home the purported smart home hub for testing and submit feedback.
Regarding the importance of the product in Apple’s ecosystem, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously claimed that it would be the “first step toward a bigger role in the smart home” along with being Apple’s “most significant release of the year” when it debuts.
