If iPad and HomePod Had a Baby

expected March of 2025

Apple’s done it again—or at least, they think they have.

The new HomePod + iPad combo, dropping March 2025, is their latest attempt to convince us that our homes are dumb and we’re too busy to press a button.

This device (sometimes referred to as HomePad) is expected to be a wall-mounted, Siri-powered iPad with speakers, a camera, and more AI features.

Let’s break it down.

The Purpose

The idea is simple: stick this six-inch screen on your wall, and it magically transforms into the nerve center of your smart home.

Dynamic proximity-based UI means the interface changes depending on how close you are. Not sure what that means, so I’ll leave it to your interpretation.

It’s meant to be perfect for controlling your smart home, making video calls, or displaying tasks.

But let’s be real: you’re going to use it to yell at Siri to turn on the lights for the 50th time because it still doesn’t understand what “dining room” means (coming from personal experience).

The Software

This thing leans hard on custom Apple intelligence.

Apple is apparently deploying a special version specific for this new device.

The usefulness of this depends on how you view Apple Intelligence. I personally enjoy it because it saves my time (more so on my Mac rather than my iPad).

On a device like this, I think it’ll be nice but nothing insane.

The Hardware

It’s got a six-inch display, built-in camera, speakers, and a rechargeable battery, making it portable enough to carry around.

I’m envisioning a smaller iPad mini. Which honestly makes me a little worried.

If my math is correct, a 6” screen is just over half the size of the current 8.3” screen on iPad minis. Not sure how practical that will be.

The Price

The competition isn’t exactly cheap—Amazon’s Echo Hub is $180, and Google’s Nest Hub Max is $230.

I expect Apple to aim for $300-$350.

After all, they know hardcore fans will pay an extra $100 just to flex on Android users.

The Quantity

Apple’s vision is clear: this isn’t a “one and done” purchase. They want you to put one in every room.

Thousands of dollars on a smart home setup is a little extreme, but hey, Vision Pro was $3500.

Final Thoughts

I expect this to be another over-priced Apple device targeted towards people who want to spend thousands to save milliseconds. I would normally recommend sticking with an Alexa, but it’s too early to make that statement.

Let’s see what happens.

Thanks for reading!

Adi

PS—Check out Concepts