When Apple launched its all-in-one personal computer, the iMac G4, back in 2002, it was the coolest computing device you could own. A big departure from your typical squarish-beige-box PC, the iMac G4 was funky and different, with a white/clear plastic display attached to a hemispherical base that held the components.
The legendary iMac G4 is long gone now (except as an artifact of adoration in fans’ basements), but Apple might launch something similar next year – at least on the outside.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s rumored smart home display will look pretty much like the iMac G4, with a display attached (at an angle) to a small base that could be “reminiscent of the circular bottom of the iMac G3 from a couple of decades ago.”
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The base might include speakers, which would make the device something akin to a HomePod (mini?) with a screen. But the display, Gurman claims, will be fairly small, “about the size of two iPhones side by side.”
The small size should make this device “relatively cheap,” something a user could have in several rooms in their home. Gurman also claims the device will run a new operating system, with iPad-like apps such as FaceTime, Notes, and Calendar, but overall tailored for videos and photo slideshows. So, a little bit of everything, then.
Apple’s smart home display will launch in 2025, Gurman says, as the first of two smart displays Apple is planning. The larger of the two will have a bigger display and a robotic limb, but this one will cost “closer to $1,000” and probably won’t be ready until 2026.
