on mark gurman bloomberg is back with the latest rumors about Apple’s future plans, and its ongoing difficulties with artificial intelligence are creating further delays for its next wave of product launches. Their sources say Apple is expected to postpone the debut of its smart home displays to late 2026, possibly to September when it often introduces new gadgets. Although the hardware has reportedly been ready for months, the delay is being attributed to the company’s AI-focused overhaul of Siri still not being completed.
The device, known internally as the J490, has been one of Apple’s many poorly kept secrets. Rumors about a HomePod smart speaker with a screen first surfaced in 2022 and have resurfaced from time to time in the interim, often with promises that the device’s arrival was imminent. The latest claims speculate that an official announcement was due this spring, possibly this month. However, it appears that Apple is once again having trouble with its AI strategy, leaving it struggling to catch up to other industry leaders.
Apple has been working to incorporate more AI capabilities into Siri for over a year as part of its Apple Intelligence package. Gurman reports that Apple’s new timeline is aimed at completing improvements for the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, which is also expected in September. Apple may unveil this long-awaited Siri-as-chatbot during its WWDC keynote over the summer before it appears in any devices.
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