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Apple remains on track to launch its first smart home device with a screen before the end of the year, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . Gurman reiterated that the device will use facial recognition to determine who is standing in front of it and serve up personalized content for that individual user. The description lines up with code found in macOS Tahoe 26.7 earlier this week, which revealed that the smart home hub will support multiple user profiles and use "ambient sensing" to verify identity. Apple is also readying a new Apple TV and an updated HomePod mini as part of the same renewed push into the home, according to Gurman. Apple's smart home hub has been rumored for years. It is rumored to feature a square, seven-inch display with a front-facing camera, running an operating system closer to tvOS than iOS, with a home screen built around quick-access widgets. Pricing is expected to land somewhere around $350. Apple originally intended to release the device in spring 2025, then targeted spring 2026, before pushing it back to September because Siri AI was not ready. Gurman reported over the weekend that Apple is rearranging sections of its retail stores to accommodate new smart home products. Related Roundups: Apple TV , HomePod mini Tags: Apple Command Center , Bloomberg , Mark Gurman Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy) , HomePod Mini (Don't Buy) Related Forums: Apple TV and Home Theater , HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology This article, " Apple Smart Home Display Still Coming This Year " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple quietly updated its Magic Keyboard with MacBook-style symbol-only keycaps. The real shock? The price actually stayed the same. Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad Updated store images show glyphs replacing the written labels on the Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, Return, and Delete keys. The symbols match those introduced on the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air keyboards in March. The five replacement glyphs are: Tab Caps Lock Shift Return Delete Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple is taking pre-orders for the new Mac Studio now, but one configuration can't be selected yet. It's certain to push the maximum price well over $20,000, too. If that $18,299 price tag for the Mac Studio seems steep, wait until all of the configuration options are available - image credit: Apple. If you chose to, you could now spend $899 on a base Mac mini and wince at how much more those cost these days. Or you could go the other way and try to max-out a new Mac Studio. You can try. Very unusually, Apple has opened pre-orders for the Mac Studio but excluded one configuration, which it just says is "coming late October." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple kept the new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini at three external displays, but increased the maximum refresh rate, and gave M5 Pro support for connecting all three through one Thunderbolt port. Mac mini connected to an external monitor The Mac mini models were introduced August 25 and will be available September 22. M6 replaces M4 in the standard model, while M5 Pro succeeds M4 Pro in the higher-performance configuration. Both chips support one display at up to 8K at 60Hz, 5K at 120Hz, or 4K at 240Hz. They also support variable refresh rates, HDR, and multichannel audio. The differences emerge as more monitors are connected. Apple's published specifications show that M5 Pro maintains higher limits across two or three displays, while M6 assigns lower limits to the additional screens. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
