Apple’s First AI Smart Home Hub Leaks: Comes with a Screen, Can “Turn Its Head,” Expected This Spring!

On January 22, tech media The Information revealed that Apple plans to launch a new Smart Home Hub as early as this spring. The device will feature a robotic rotating base, allowing it to automatically turn toward users in response to voice commands or movements, redefining the interaction model of traditional stationary smart speakers.

This smart home hub will be equipped with a compact display and high-fidelity speakers, while incorporating Embodied AI via the rotating base. This allows the device to physically rotate and implement what is called visual tracking. Combined with Apple’s sensor technology, it is expected to use an array of sensors to precisely detect the user’s position in the room.

For instance, when a user issues a voice command or moves, the base will rotate the screen toward them, providing an optimized video call angle and creating a “visual personality”. This feature gives the AI assistant a lifelike presence, making interactions more immersive and natural.

Supply chain sources indicate that the device’s release window will closely align with iOS 26.4. With its dynamic hardware and smarter Siri integration, Apple is poised to redefine the smart home control center once again.