Apple Reportedly Delayed its Smart Display to Fall 2026

Apple has reportedly delayed the release of its first smart display to the fall of 2026, which could be when a new version of its Siri assistant finally ships. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported yesterday that the new smart home display was previously expected to debut this month, but Apple is now aiming for a September release.

“The smart display itself has been finished for several months,” Gurman said, adding that the device was first scheduled for spring 2025. Apple delaying its smart display exacerbates the fact that the company is struggling to deliver some of the Apple Intelligence features it first revealed at WWDC 2024. Apple had to adopt Google’s Gemini AI to improve Siri and its foundational AI models, and we should finally see the results of this partnership later this year.

According to Gurman, Apple’s first smart display will have a 7-inch display with a silver aluminum casing, and it will use a single USB-C port for power. Apple designed the smart home device to be attached to a wall or speaker base, and a bigger 9-inch version attached to a robotic arm may be released next year.

On the software front, the smart display will run a variant of tvOS, the operating system powering the Apple TV. The UI, however, will be more similar to watchOS with a list of circular app icons.

“The highlight is a facial recognition-based system that can recognize people when they walk up to the device. With that information, the product can then display personalized data, such as the user’s calendar appointments, reminders, notes, music and news preferences,” Gurman reported.

Apple also has upgrades to existing smart home products in the pipeline, including new Apple TV and HomePod models that will add support for Apple Intelligence features. Once the new version is out of the door, the company will be able to shift its focus to new AI products, including camera-equipped AirPods, smart glasses, and a wearable pendant with an always-on camera and microphone