Apple's Smart Home Hub Delayed Again: What Happened and What to Buy Instead
Apple's smart home ambitions have hit another wall. The HomePad — a wall-mounted smart display that was supposed to be Apple's answer to the Echo Show and Google Nest Hub — has been pushed from its expected spring 2026 launch to September at the earliest. The reason, according to multiple reports from Bloomberg and The Information: Siri's generative AI capabilities aren't ready for the device's intended role as a central smart home controller.
This isn't the first delay (the device was originally expected in late 2025), and it highlights a pattern that's becoming hard to ignore: Apple keeps stumbling on smart home execution despite having all the pieces in place for dominance.
What Is the HomePad?
Based on everything that's leaked, the HomePad is Apple's most ambitious smart home hardware to date. Two variants are reportedly in development:
Wall-Mount HomePad
A 7-inch touchscreen panel designed to mount on a wall, likely near a home's main entrance or kitchen. Think of it as an iPad mini permanently attached to your wall, running a purpose-built interface for smart home control. The display shows camera feeds, controls for HomeKit and Matter devices, an intercom interface for communication between rooms, and integration with Apple's Home app.
The wall-mount version is the more interesting of the two. No major tech company has shipped a premium wall-mounted smart home panel for consumers. Control4 and Savant make them for the custom installation market at $2,000+, but a $300-400 Apple version (estimated pricing based on component analysis) would bring wall-mounted control to the mainstream.
Desktop Speaker Version
The second variant is essentially a HomePod with a screen — a tabletop speaker with a display on top, similar in concept to the Amazon Echo Show 8. This version prioritizes audio quality alongside smart home control, presumably incorporating the same computational audio technology that makes the current HomePod sound as good as it does.
This device would slot between the HomePod Mini ($99) and HomePod ($299) in Apple's lineup, likely at a $249-349 price point. For Apple households that want a screen-based assistant without buying an iPad, it fills a genuine gap.
Why the Delay: Siri Isn't Ready
Apple has been rebuilding Siri from the ground up with Apple Intelligence, its on-device AI framework. The goal is a Siri that can handle complex, contextual smart home commands — "set up the house for a dinner party" should dim lights, set the thermostat, start a playlist, and unlock the front door, all from a single voice command.
By all accounts, the current Apple Intelligence-powered Siri can't reliably do this yet. The natural language understanding has improved (Siri on iPhone in iOS 19 is noticeably better than iOS 17 Siri), but the smart home-specific action chaining — understanding a complex request, breaking it into multiple device commands, executing them in the right order, and confirming the result — isn't consistent enough for a device whose primary purpose is smart home control.
Amazon and Google have both shipped AI-powered smart home control (Alexa+ and Gemini for Home), and both still have rough edges. Apple's approach of waiting until the experience is polished before shipping is on-brand, but the delay has real costs: every month without a HomePad is another month where Amazon and Google solidify their presence in kitchens and living rooms.
The Broader Siri Problem
Siri's smart home capabilities have been a sore point since HomeKit launched in 2014. Even basic commands sometimes fail in unexpected ways — "turn off the living room" might turn off lights but leave a smart plug running, or Siri might respond "I can't find that device" for a device that works perfectly through the Home app.
The HomePad was supposed to be the device that forced Apple to fix Siri for the home. Instead, Siri's limitations are delaying the HomePad. It's a chicken-and-egg problem that Apple needs to solve regardless of when the hardware ships.
What Else Apple Is Planning
HomePod Mini 2
A refreshed HomePod Mini is expected alongside or shortly after the HomePad. The original HomePod Mini launched in 2020 and hasn't been updated in six years — an eternity in consumer electronics. The updated version is expected to include a faster chip (likely the same one in the HomePad), improved Thread radio, and support for the new Apple Intelligence Siri.
At the current $99 price point (or possibly $129 with the spec bump), the HomePod Mini 2 would remain Apple's most affordable smart home device and the easiest way to add HomeKit/Matter control and Thread border router capability to a room.
Apple TV Updates
The Apple TV 4K already serves as a Thread border router and HomeKit hub, but updates are expected to improve its smart home capabilities. Whether that comes via a hardware refresh or a tvOS software update is unclear, but the Apple TV is increasingly central to Apple's smart home architecture as the "always-on" hub that stays plugged in and connected.
For many Apple households, the Apple TV 4K is already the best smart home hub Apple sells — it just doesn't market itself that way. It runs HomeKit automations, serves as a Thread border router for Matter devices, and supports AirPlay for whole-home audio. A software update adding an on-screen smart home dashboard (viewable when the TV is in standby) would be a significant upgrade.
What to Buy Right Now Instead of Waiting
If you're an Apple household waiting for the HomePad to invest in smart home infrastructure, stop waiting. Here's what to buy and set up today.
For Apple-First Households
HomePod Mini ($99): It's six years old, but it works. Siri handles basic smart home commands (turn on/off lights, lock doors, set thermostats, check camera feeds on your phone), it's a Thread border router for Matter devices, and the audio quality is solid for its size. Buy one for each room where you want voice control.
Apple TV 4K ($129-149): Essential if you want HomeKit automations to run when you're away from home. The Apple TV acts as a home hub — without one (or a HomePod), your automations only work when your iPhone is on the home WiFi network. It's also a Thread border router, so it strengthens your Thread mesh alongside HomePod Minis.
iPad as a wall display (from $329): If you specifically want a wall-mounted smart home panel and don't want to wait for the HomePad, mount an iPad on the wall using a PoE-powered mount from iPort or Elago. Run the Home app in guided access mode for a dedicated smart home display. It's more expensive than the HomePad will likely be, but it works today.
For Maximum Smart Home Capability
Home Assistant Green ($99): If you're frustrated with HomeKit's limitations — limited automation options, no conditional logic, no templates — Home Assistant is the answer. It supports every Apple device through HomeKit Controller integration AND adds support for 2,800+ other integrations. You can even expose Home Assistant devices back to Apple Home through the HomeKit Bridge integration, getting the best of both worlds.
Home Assistant Green plugs into your router, sets up through a web browser, and runs entirely locally. Pair it with a SkyConnect USB stick ($30) for Zigbee and Thread radios. Your Apple Home setup continues to work alongside Home Assistant — they're complementary, not competing.
For anyone serious about smart home automation, Home Assistant is where Apple should be but isn't. The automation capabilities, energy monitoring, and device support are years ahead of what Apple Home offers. And when the HomePad finally ships, Home Assistant will support it through Matter and HomeKit.
For Budget-Conscious Buyers
Amazon Echo Show 5 ($89) or Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) ($99): If you don't need Apple ecosystem integration and just want a smart display with voice control, Amazon and Google have been selling capable devices for years. Both support Matter devices alongside their native ecosystems. The Echo Show 5 is the better value; the Nest Hub has a better display and Google's Gemini AI.
These obviously don't integrate with Apple Home natively, but if your devices are Matter-compatible, you can control them from any platform. Buy Matter lights and locks, and you can switch to Apple's ecosystem when the HomePad eventually ships without replacing any hardware.
Why Apple Keeps Stumbling on Smart Home
Apple has every advantage in smart home: a massive installed base of iPhones, a privacy-focused brand that resonates with smart home security concerns, excellent hardware design, and the resources to build anything they want. Yet they consistently trail Amazon and Google in smart home features, devices, and market share.
The reasons are structural:
- Smart home isn't a priority business. Apple makes money on iPhones, Macs, services, and wearables. Smart home is a feature that makes those products stickier, not a revenue driver. Amazon and Google treat smart home as strategic — it's a channel for commerce (Amazon) and data (Google). Apple treats it as an accessory.
- Siri development is slow. Apple's voice assistant has been playing catch-up since 2018, and the Apple Intelligence rebuild, while promising, is still a work in progress. Smart home control depends heavily on voice, and Siri's limitations are a ceiling on what Apple can offer.
- HomeKit was too restrictive for too long. Apple's insistence on hardware authentication chips and strict certification requirements kept many manufacturers out of the HomeKit ecosystem for years. Matter has mostly solved this, but the perception that "Apple smart home = limited selection" persists.
- No affordable hardware play. Amazon sells Echo Dots for $22 on sale. Google sells Nest Minis for $25. Apple's cheapest smart home device is $99. For a technology that benefits from being in every room, Apple's pricing limits adoption.
Should You Wait for the HomePad?
No. Here's why: even if the HomePad ships in September 2026, it will be a first-generation product. Apple's first-generation products are typically good but not great — the original HomePod, the original Apple Watch, and the first AirPods all improved dramatically in their second generation.
More importantly, your smart home infrastructure (lights, sensors, locks, thermostats) doesn't depend on the HomePad. Buy Matter-compatible devices now, control them with whatever you have (HomePod Mini, Apple TV, or even Home Assistant), and add the HomePad as an upgrade when it ships and proves itself.
The devices you buy today will work with the HomePad tomorrow — that's the entire point of Matter. Don't let Apple's delays become your delays. Build your smart home now with what's available, and let the HomePad be a nice addition whenever Apple finally figures out Siri.