Apple Home rumors, ranked | The Vergecast

在“VergeCast”播客节目中，主持人詹妮弗·帕特森-崔和安德鲁·奥哈拉——一位为Apple Insider撰稿的视频制作人，同时也是Smart Home Insider播客的主持人——深入探讨了在即将举行的完整硬件发布会之前，备受期待的Apple Home硬件传闻。讨论的焦点是苹果是否会最终在其智能家居生态系统中取得重大进展，尤其是在传闻已久的智能显示屏方面。 在深入主话题之前，大卫·阿梅尔介绍了2026年9月3日星期四的“Verge 90秒”节目。主要科技新闻包括：OpenAI发布了GPT-6 Astra，被誉为企业客户在AI能力方面的代际飞跃；英伟达以130亿美元收购了AI存储库Hugging Face，并承诺维持其开放平台；微软决定将Game Pass Ultimate计划中的云游戏访问时间削减至每月15小时，同时引入了新的按量付费选项。 詹妮弗和安德鲁随后将焦点转向Apple Home，安德鲁解释说，它起源于十多年前的HomeKit，并强调与早期安全性较低的亚马逊设备相比，其安全的方法。尽管最初遇到了需要专有硬件芯片等障碍，Apple Home仍在不断发展，为Matter开放标准做出了重大贡献。其核心差异化因素仍然是隐私和安全，通过Apple TV或HomePod等设备进行本地AI处理。 两位主持人强调，苹果智能家居产品中的核心空白是缺少智能显示屏——一种无需手机或语音即可进行控制的设备。这使得苹果落后于亚马逊和谷歌，这两家公司已经提供智能显示屏多年。安德鲁表示对Nest Hubs和Echo Shows等产品非常羡慕，他看重一个中央枢纽能够实现设备控制、摄像头画面以及天气和日历等基本信息的功能。他希望苹果的“神奇触感”能提升这一体验。 最受期待的传闻是苹果智能显示屏，可能被命名为“HomePad”或“Apple Pad”。安德鲁预测它将是一款带有半球形底座的7英寸显示屏，让人联想到iMac G4，并可能提供壁挂选项，采用磁性（类似MagSafe）系统和电池供电，以避免复杂的布线。他不期望发布时会有完整的App Store，但相信它会包含苹果应用（Safari、新闻、家庭、日历、提醒事项、FaceTime），并且至关重要的是，会利用iOS/macOS小组件和实时活动。这将允许开发者的现有交互式小组件（例如Sonos控制、智能家居品牌小组件、日历应用）在显示屏上运行，而无需专门的应用程序开发，从而从第一天起就提供广泛的功能。还预计将支持多用户，通过面部识别显示个性化信息，并提供访客模式。 安德鲁和詹妮弗根据目前的传闻，对新的Apple Home硬件的可能性进行了排名： 1. **Apple TV**：预计将配备A17 Pro处理器，用于设备上的Apple智能功能；苹果的N1网络芯片（Wi-Fi 7、蓝牙6、Thread 1.4）；以及一个带有“查找我的”功能的新遥控器。 2. **新款HomePod mini**：预计将在六年之后进行更新，搭载Apple智能/Siri AI，改进的声学效果，以及更新的超宽带芯片。 3. **家庭中的Siri改进**：这被视为一项基础性升级，旨在统一跨设备的Siri体验，以匹配iOS 27上的新Siri AI，解决目前手机和家庭助理之间的不一致问题。 这前三项被认为是九月发布会极有可能出现的产品。 4. **Apple Home智能显示屏（Apple Pad/Hub）**：尽管备受期待，安德鲁将其发布可能性排名略低，暗示它可能会与其他产品一同揭示，但稍后发布，可能在十月。 接下来的传闻被认为更为可疑： 5. **苹果门铃摄像头**：由于消费者需求，其可能性高于室内摄像头，但苹果通常避免安装复杂性（如布线），这使得其做法不确定。一种可能的方式是电池供电、类似MagSafe的选项，并与智能显示屏联动，同时具备面部识别功能。 6. **苹果安防摄像头（室内）**：可能性低于门铃，但这可能是苹果进入第一方安防硬件领域的尝试。它的优势在于利用苹果的隐私和安全立场来建立信任，特别是对于AI驱动的预测性家庭功能，尽管消费者普遍对室内摄像头持犹豫态度。 7. **机器人桌面显示屏（皮克斯台灯）**：詹妮弗认为这可能性最小，但安德鲁对此持乐观态度。传闻它是一款安装在机械臂上的7英寸显示屏，可以跟随用户移动，可能整合了现有追踪技术，例如贝尔金的追踪支架。其代号为“charismatic”（意为“有魅力的”），暗示其将是一个个人化、友好的助理。 播客最后总结了这些排名，并表示希望这些预测能够实现，特别是备受期待的智能显示屏，以最终提升Apple Home的体验。

On the "VergeCast" podcast, hosts Jennifer Patterson-Tui and Andrew O'Hara, a writer and video producer for Apple Insider and host of the Smart Home Insider podcast, delved into the eagerly anticipated Apple Home hardware rumors ahead of an upcoming full hardware event. The discussion centered on whether Apple would finally make significant strides in its smart home ecosystem, particularly with a long-rumored smart display. Before diving into the main topic, David Amell presented "90 Seconds on the Verge" for Thursday, September 3rd, 2026. Key tech news included OpenAI's release of GPT-6 Astra, touted as a generational leap in AI capabilities for enterprise customers; NVIDIA's $13 billion acquisition of AI repository Hugging Face, with assurances of maintaining its open platform; and Microsoft's decision to slash cloud gaming access on Game Pass Ultimate plans to 15 hours a month, while introducing a new pay-as-you-go option. Jennifer and Andrew then focused on Apple Home, which Andrew explained originated over 10 years ago as HomeKit, emphasizing its secure approach compared to early, less secure Amazon devices. Despite initial hurdles like requiring proprietary hardware chips, Apple Home evolved, contributing significantly to the Matter open standard. Its core differentiators remain privacy and security, with local AI processing on devices like Apple TV or HomePod. The central gap in Apple's smart home offering, as highlighted by both hosts, is the lack of a smart display—a device that allows control without a phone or voice. This has left Apple trailing behind Amazon and Google, which have offered smart displays for years. Andrew expressed envy for products like Nest Hubs and Echo Shows, valuing a central hub for device control, camera feeds, and essential information like weather and calendars. He hopes Apple's "magic touch" will elevate the experience. The most anticipated rumor is the Apple smart display, potentially named "HomePad" or "Apple Pad." Andrew predicts a 7-inch display on a half-dome base, reminiscent of the iMac G4, with a wall-mountable option possibly using a magnetic (MagSafe-like) system and battery power to avoid complex wiring. He doesn't expect a full App Store at launch but believes it will feature Apple apps (Safari, News, Home, Calendar, Reminders, FaceTime) and crucially leverage iOS/macOS widgets and Live Activities. This would allow developers' existing interactive widgets (e.g., Sonos controls, smart home brand widgets, calendar apps) to function on the display without dedicated app development, providing broad functionality from day one. Multi-user support with facial recognition to display personalized information and a guest mode are also anticipated. Andrew and Jennifer ranked the likelihood of new Apple Home hardware based on current rumors: 1. **Apple TV**: Predicted to come with an A17 Pro processor for on-device Apple intelligence, Apple's N1 networking chip (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread 1.4), and a new remote with "Find My" functionality. 2. **New HomePod mini**: Expected to be updated after six years, featuring Apple intelligence/Siri AI, improved acoustics, and updated ultra-wideband chips. 3. **Better Siri in the Home**: This is considered a fundamental upgrade, unifying the Siri experience across devices to match the new Siri AI on iOS 27, addressing current inconsistencies between phone and home assistants. These top three are seen as highly probable for a September announcement. 4. **Apple Home Smart Display (Apple Pad/Hub)**: While highly desired, Andrew places its announcement slightly lower, suggesting it might be revealed alongside other products but launched later, perhaps in October. The next set of rumors are considered more dubious: 5. **Apple Doorbell Camera**: More likely than an indoor camera due to consumer demand, but Apple's typical avoidance of installation complexities (like wiring) makes its approach uncertain. A battery-powered, MagSafe-style option linked to the smart display is a possibility, along with facial ID features. 6. **Apple Security Camera (Indoor)**: Less likely than the doorbell, but could be Apple's entry into first-party security hardware. Its strength would be leveraging Apple's privacy and security stance to build trust, especially for AI-driven predictive home functions, despite general consumer hesitancy towards indoor cameras. 7. **Robotic Tabletop Display (Pixar Lamp)**: This is considered the least likely by Jennifer but Andrew is optimistic. Rumored to be a 7-inch display on a motorized arm that follows users, potentially incorporating existing tracking technology like Belkin's tracking stand. Code-named "charismatic," implying a personal, friendly assistant. The podcast concluded with a recap of the rankings, expressing hope that these predictions would materialize, particularly the long-awaited smart display, to finally elevate the Apple Home experience.