Like Amazon’s stripped-back Echo Hub, the Apple device would also probably want to put your connected devices front and centre, so you could use it like a digital light-switch panel, a thermostat control or to monitor the status of your security system. This would add a lot of value to its HomeKit system, which can feel a bit less useful than Alexa or Google Home given you really need to interact with an iPhone for HomePod to access it.

As for its physical form, Bloomberg suggests it will be a simple screen with a range of accessories letting it fit in different spaces of the home. One could be a wall mount for a hallway, while another could be a stand for the kitchen. For a long time, the rumour had been that Apple’s display would sit on a rotating base so it could always face its user, like the Echo Show 10, or even on a robotic arm.

But it sounds like Apple may now leave that to a second, more advanced iteration.

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For all its similarities to existing displays, a true advantage for Apple (besides integration with Apple services) could be AI. A screen on your bench or bedside could be a much more natural place to interact with Apple Intelligence than on your Mac and, with a recent chip inside the display, could handle plenty of queries locally without having to send anything to the cloud.

Of course such chips aren’t cheap, and current hubs start about $150, so Apple would probably be entering the market at the higher end.

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