Apple ‘iPad Dock’ to turn the iPad into a smart display
The latest Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple is reportedly working on a new dock to turn the iPad into a smart display, this feature works similarly to the recently announced Google Pixel tablet. The company wants to offer a device that will enable users to place the tablet around the home, and it will also act as a smart home hub for connected accessories.
The company plans on introducing the capability as soon as next year, 2023 converting an iPad into a smart display that will be sold separately, while the company continues to work on a standalone smart home product that will combine a display and smart speaker.
I was told that Apple is working to bring similar functionality to the iPad as early as 2023. Last year I reported that Apple is studying a standalone device that combines an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on the kitchen counter, in the living room or on the bedside table. But Apple is also working on an iPad dock that could be sold separately and would serve the same purpose.
Last year, Gurman reported that Apple is also planning a combined Apple TV and smart speaker device equipped with a camera, which he believes is still in the works. Meanwhile, Apple`s poised to launch the iPad Pro before the end of this month, which is rumored to come with 11-inch and 12.9-inch variations, as well as with Apple’s in-house M2 chip.
Smart home control and FaceTime with iPad
According to the report, with Apple’s new iPad stand, you will be able to use an already existing smart screen, your iPad, for this purpose. According to the report, we learn that there will be appropriate changes in the interface and that these changes are automatically activated when placed on the stand, and it will be possible to use functions like the smart screen.
Although there is no definite information about the release date or whether this stand will come from Apple, an iPad Pro variation with an M2 processor is expected to be released before the end of this month.
Such an iPad accessory could allow users to use the tablet to control various home functions through the Home app, make FaceTime calls using the front camera with Center Stage, and more.
Compared to Google and Amazon, Apple has kept a low profile with home products, only releasing the HomePod mini in October 2020 before stopping sales of the HomePod in March 2021. A new HomePod with the size of the original model is one of several products Apple is expected to release in 2023.
