After years of buildup, Apple’s long-rumored smart display isn’t coming anytime soon. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device has been pushed to fall 2026. That’s a long way from the original spring 2025 target. Then it was “this month.” Now it’s fall 2026. Classic.
Apple’s smart display keeps slipping. Spring 2025. Then soon. Now fall 2026. The hardware’s ready. Siri isn’t.
The hardware is apparently done. Has been for months. The culprit? Siri. Apple’s voice assistant still isn’t ready to handle what the smart display actually needs to do. The device requires an improved version of Siri — one that uses screen context and personal data to function properly. It also depends heavily on Apple Intelligence App Intents to control third-party apps. Neither is fully baked.
The delays trace back to Siri updates originally planned for iOS 18.4 that never shipped. Late 2025 optimism faded quickly once it became clear those updates weren’t happening. Apple even pulled in Google Gemini AI to strengthen its foundational models. That says a lot about where Siri stands right now.
The device itself looks solid on paper. It features a 7-inch display, silver aluminum casing, and a single USB-C port. Users can wall-mount it or attach it to a speaker base. A larger 9-inch version with a robotic arm is reportedly planned for the following year. Rumored specs include an A18-class chip and a 1080p camera.
Software-wise, it runs a variant of tvOS with a watchOS-style circular icon interface. Facial recognition lets it pull up personalized calendars, reminders, music, and news. There’s also a rumored “homeOS” branding with a dashboard-style UI for smart home control. FaceTime, HomeKit, Matter — it’s supposed to do it all. The device is expected to support Matter certification natively, allowing it to connect with a broad range of third-party smart home products out of the box.
Supply chain sources point to a spring 2026 reveal, possibly at WWDC, with a fall launch window. Codenames J490 and J595 are floating around. Apple employees are actively testing units. The smart display is also expected to ship alongside a new Siri version representing Apple’s most significant AI overhaul to date.
It’s a product clearly designed to compete with Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. Whether Apple can actually deliver — on time, with Siri working — remains the real question. Apple is expected to position deeper ecosystem integration as a key differentiator against those rivals. History isn’t exactly on their side here.
