Apple's foray into the smart display segment is eagerly awaited, and if Bloomberg's numerous reports are anything to go by, we could see the first entry hit stores as early as 2025. Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, in the latest edition From its Ignition e-newsletter, it reports that the next machine could be inspired by the legendary iMac G4.
“The screen is placed at an angle on a small almohadilla, reminiscent of the round bottom of the iMac G3 from a couple of decades ago,” Gurman writes. I think there's a typo, as it was the iMac G4 that introduced the radical rounded almohadilla aesthetic, while the iMac G3 looked more like a bulky, all-in-one monitor-like machine.
Now, the iMac G4 occupies a special place in Apple hardware history. Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and then-CEO, was reportedly inspired by a sunflower and commissioned design wizard Jony Ive to develop the next Mac desktop computer.
Upon its release more than two decades ago, Jobs went crazy over “the biggest change in desktop computers” with the iMac G4 and the long list of upgrades it brought to the table. “I think this is the best thing we've ever done,” Jobs said. quoted as saying at the packed Macworld event.
To this day, the design of the LCD panel's rotating arm connected to a hemispherical almohadilla is considered one of the best to ever come out of Apple's famous secret design laboratories. It seems that for its next big adventure with an entirely new product category, Apple is borrowing one of its most surprising {hardware} efforts.
The Bloomberg report notes that the screen of Apple's next smart home device will follow a square format and will be about the “size of two iPhones side by side.” The almohadilla, on the other hand, will likely house the speaker array.
The device will primarily serve as a hub for controlling other smart home devices and accessories. Additionally, it will run its own custom operating system, which some rumors refer to as homeOS. The basic approach, however, won't be much different from the iPad.
To that end, Apple's next smart display will reportedly house apps like Notes, Calendar, and FaceTime, among others. Apple is also envisioning it as a dynamic frame that will play a slideshow of images in the shared photo library, in addition to serving as a hub for watching movies.
Specifically, the device is also said to run the Apple Intelligence experience, which also means it will have some serious firepower under the hood. Interestingly, this is the low-end smart display we are talking about here.
Apple is also reportedly working on a high-end model, one that would include a robotic arm form autor and could cost around $1,000.
So far, the company has yet to offer any clues about its work on a new class of smart devices, but it certainly seems like Apple wants to stick its AI stack in more places and grab a piece of the market where companies like the Echo Present from Amazon. They have reigned supreme, until now.
Meanwhile, if you can't stop your imagination from running wild, London designer Xhakomo Doda created some delightful conceptual renderings of a revived iMac G4 design for the modern era. Dreamy, that's all I can say about the beautiful performances.
Plus, in 2022, a hardware enthusiast shoved the powerful M1 silicon inside the iMac G4 chassis, giving it a modern makeover. It would be interesting to see if Apple's design team stays true to the diferente inspiration or gives us something completely new next year.
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