Apple may be working on an Apple Intelligence-powered smart home device

Apple accessories

Apple could be working on a smart home accessory, as per a report by MacRumors, based on a “code discovered on Apple’s backend”. Rumours about the Cupertino-based tech giant developing a smart home device other than the HomePod or Apple TV have been around for a while.

Apple is believed to have been working on a smart speaker with an in-built display. With the mention of smart speakers having displays, the Amazon Echo Show comes to mind, but since it is Apple, we can expect it to take its time to come up with a smart home product that’s way ahead of its competitors.

According to the report, there is a reference of a device with the identifier “HomeAccessory17,1," in the code, the nomenclature being similar to Apple ‌HomePod‌'s "AudioAccessory" identifier. The point worth noting is that it is the first Apple device to have the “HomeAccessory” tag, which could mean that it lies in an entirely new product category.

“HomeAccessory17,1” is a new identifier category and the “17,1” in the name reportedly hints at the smart home accessory getting the Apple A18 chipset. It leads to the inference that the rumoured smart home device would be capable of getting Apple Intelligence, since Apple’s recently introduced AI platform requires at least an A17 Pro chipset.

As per the report, the backend code also suggests that the "HomeAccessory" device will run a software variant of Apple’s tvOS, similar to the HomePod. The firmware on the HomeAccessory device is expected to be the homeOS.

The code also reportedly gives out the identifiers of two yet-to-be-launched Apple TV models, the identifiers being “AppleTV14,4” and “AppleTV14,5”.