Apple's Rumored Smart Display Could Threaten Google Home If It Gets Key Features Right

Apple, Amazon and Google are the major companies in the smart home market. Amazon's Echo and Google's Nest ecosystems have dominated for years, while Apple's HomeKit is only loosely relevant because of its first-party integration with iOS. Google sells smart speakers, displays, cameras, thermostats and more, making its ecosystem a complete package. Apple, by comparison, relies on third-party accessory makers for almost everything in HomeKit. The Bloomberg report indicates that is about to change, at least in part.

Android Authority said it used Apple Home for years before switching entirely to Google Home about a year ago. It said Apple faces an uphill battle if it wants to encroach on Google's well-established smart home territory. But if Apple's smart display does certain things, Google should be worried.

Local control is one area where Apple already has an advantage. HomeKit's Accessory Protocol requires support for local communication and control, so HomeKit-certified and Matter accessories work locally with Apple Home. Google Home, by contrast, handles almost everything through the cloud. Matter and Thread can bring local control to Google Home, but only when the Google Home devices used are compatible with Matter. First-party Home and Nest accessories rely entirely on the cloud, according to the analysis.

The article said the lack of standalone, on-device and local features is its biggest complaint about Google Home. A Google Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max cannot set a timer or show the date without an active network connection, and a Google Home Speaker will not tell the time when the internet drops. Android Authority hopes Apple's rumored smart display follows the same local-control blueprint as HomeKit. Siri and Apple Intelligence will require a network connection, but if Apple's smart home hub can control HomeKit and Matter accessories locally without the internet, it would have a major advantage over the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max.

FaceTime could be another differentiator. The front-facing camera on Google's Nest Hub Max is underutilized, working as a Nest home security camera, for Google Meet calls and for motion detection. The writer owns a Nest Hub Max but has not used its camera once, because Google Meet is not a platform used to call family or friends. FaceTime, by contrast, could be Apple's secret weapon for a smart home display. According to Bloomberg, the device is said to feature a front-facing FaceTime camera, microphones and speakers. The rumored smart home hub has a six-inch display that Android Authority imagines will work similarly to an iPad, with FaceTime as a big part of it.

A smart display that lives in the home and handles video calls sounds like a good idea, but no one has executed it properly, the article said. The ill-fated Meta Portal did not work out, and the writer does not know anyone who uses a Nest Hub Max or Echo Show for video calling. With FaceTime at the core, an Apple smart display could be the product that finally nails it.

Sound quality is the third area. Smart displays are not known for sound quality. Google's Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max have fine speakers but nothing special, and the $99 Google Home Speaker, an audio-focused smart home gadget, did not leave the writer impressed. In a comparison test, the Home Speaker got louder than Apple's HomePod mini, while the latter sounded sharper and more detailed. Android Authority asked whether the Apple smart display could offer the same edge over the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max. It said a sound quality advantage is something Apple needs to shake up the market, but it is far from a sure thing. Bloomberg describes the smart display as having a "metal, round base with multiple rings of perforated speaker holes." The writer speculated that a mesh cover similar to the HomePod would have given more confidence in the device's audio quality ahead of its expected launch.