1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,280 Thanks to our amazing community members like you, we've reached 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,880 the top 15 of Spotify's video podcast, the Top 10 audio 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,320 podcasts on both Apple and Spotify for the tech category, 4 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,800 so you all make this possible. If you want to support us more, 5 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:20,280 check out our Patreon. That's patreon.com/stage 0 News 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,920 so we can keep this free and open for you to enjoy. 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,040 Something interesting happened the other day. 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,760 I was looking through our stats on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,400 and I noticed that about 55% of you are not subscribed to the 10 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,760 show. That means 45% of you are 11 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,080 subscribed and I really do appreciate your support for the 12 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,520 other 55% of you are awesome. But I'm going to ask you for a 13 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:48,960 favor. Could you please hit the 14 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,160 subscribe button? It'll take you one second. 15 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,760 I'm going to promise you 10 years of this podcast for free, 16 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,040 No pay walls. I'm not going to charge you 17 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,320 anything ever, but I'm going to give you 10 years of this show 18 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:01,480 for free. I've already been doing it for 19 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,000 five years and I plan on doing it for 10 more. 20 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,040 And the only way that we can continue doing this is with your 21 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,800 support. So one second of your time to 22 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,880 hit the subscribe button right now would help the show 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,200 tremendously. Thank you so much. 24 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,040 Apple is building Smart home hub with a display. 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:26,560 A recent code leaks from iOS 26 just confirmed several features 26 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:28,400 we've been hearing about for years. 27 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,400 It's been rumored that they're going to have some sort of Alexa 28 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,880 type of ICE device sometime. Finally, there's a leak within 29 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,840 the iOS. Now the device will have Face 30 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,480 Ida, 1080P camera profile switching based on who's 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,560 standing in front of it, and support for Apple Intelligence. 32 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,240 Now, Apple's been working on this product for at least 2-3 33 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,400 years, and internal references now place it in the iOS 26 code 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,480 base. The expected launch window is 35 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:02,040 March or April, right around the time Apple plans to roll out a 36 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,240 major new version of Siri next year. 37 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:07,960 So what exactly is Apple building, and how does it 38 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,600 compare to what Google and Amazon have been selling for 39 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,200 almost a decade now? Now, the design reportedly 40 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,720 resembles a small iPad with thick bezels, and one version 41 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:23,960 will sit on a hemispherical base that looks like an old iMac G4. 42 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,960 Do you remember those things? I'm going to cover the hardware 43 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,480 details on this one, how Face ID changes the whole experience, 44 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,840 what apps will be available for it, and what else Apple might 45 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,240 announce alongside it. And we'll get right back into 46 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,040 that after the short break. Now, Apple's Smart Home Hub will 47 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,560 come in two versions. 1 is a 7 inch display and it's designed 48 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,960 to be mounted on a wall. The other has the same 7 inch 49 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,680 display but sits on a speaker base that looks similar to a 50 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,040 Home Pod Mini. Now. 51 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,480 It's been described as a hemispherical Dome with the 52 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:01,960 screen position at an angle on top of it. 53 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,800 In the features in iOS, the whole unit is small and 54 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,400 lightweight enough to be moved from room to room. 55 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,280 Now the device will know how close you're standing to it and 56 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,280 adjust what it shows based on where you are. 57 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,480 If no one's nearby, it might display the temperature or the 58 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,640 time. And if someone approaches, it 59 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,320 gets shipped to an interface for adjusting the thermostat. 60 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,520 Or it can adjust to who you are. Maybe you listen to a lot of 61 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,240 music. It's camera will detect who you 62 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,560 are, use AI and say, hey, this is Will he really likes to 63 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:40,040 listen to Spotify and then it'll show me Spotify, possibly pop it 64 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,640 right up be like what you know what kind of songs you want to 65 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,880 listen to. That would be really 66 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,520 interesting. Now that kind of proximity 67 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,800 awareness is not something you get from a standard tablet 68 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,080 propped up on a counter like we do in our kitchen. 69 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,400 We have an iPad. We put it on the counter and 70 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,280 play music or look at recipes while we cook. 71 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,960 This is going to be a little bit different, more AI involved. 72 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,000 Now the hub will also, you know, the sensors in it will detect 73 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,480 how many people are in a room and which person is near it. 74 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,760 So if I walked in the calendar on the screen, screen should 75 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,320 shift to maybe my personal calendar. 76 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,440 When my wife walks in, it shifts to hers. 77 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,920 Apple is using Face ID for this profile switching, and iOS 26 78 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:30,080 codely confirms that engineers are testing the accuracy of the 79 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,320 system with an internal app. Right now the camera is limited 80 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:36,960 to 1080P though, which is lower resolution than you might 81 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,840 expect, but is enough for facial recognition and for video calls 82 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:43,440 too, because you're not really going to be making high effort 83 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,560 video calls, usually in your kitchen or just hanging out of 84 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,720 your house, use your phone for that Face ID, or if you're doing 85 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,080 something in your office, you'll have a different camera for 86 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,680 that. It doesn't really need to be 4K 87 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,960 resolution. Now, Apple has been referring to 88 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,280 the operating system internally as charismatic. 89 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,120 The name is not been publicly confirmed, but it describes an 90 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,120 interface built around clock faces and widgets, and the main 91 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,160 view of this thing is a customizable home screen similar 92 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,640 to your iPad that can show the weather, home controls, photo, 93 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,680 slideshows, and upcoming calendar events. 94 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,440 There will be no dedicated App Store at launch. 95 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:27,160 Instead Apple plans to ship the hub with several pre installed 96 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,000 apps. So there will be Safari, Apple 97 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:36,480 News, Apple Music, Notes, Calendar, Photos and Home app, 98 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:42,440 and some sort of weather app. Now, Apple is also working on a 99 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,720 personified Siri interface for this device. 100 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,240 The idea is that Siri would have an animated appearance, and one 101 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,760 concept being considered is a version that looks like the 102 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,800 classic Mac Finder icon. That would give Siri a face, 103 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,640 which changes how people might interact with it compared to 104 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,400 just a glowing orb or a waveform. 105 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,640 Because right now, we don't know what Siri looks like. 106 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,240 We talked to Siri on our phones and we talked to Siri on our 107 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,400 other devices, but we don't really have a face to this 108 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,960 voice. Now, the new Siri coming in iOS 109 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,160 26 is a major part of the product too. 110 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,480 Apple intelligence will be supported on the Home Hub, which 111 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,480 means the upgraded Siri with better natural language 112 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,880 understanding should be available at launch. 113 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:24,920 Now that timing all lines up here. 114 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:29,520 Apple is expected to release iOS 26.4 in March or April with a 115 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,320 new Siri, and the Home Hub is expected to ship around that 116 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,600 same time. Now, the iOS 26 code leak also 117 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,600 referenced the device identified as J229. 118 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:46,560 This is an accessory. It has multiple sensors that can 119 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,360 detect alarm sounds and capture images. 120 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,760 And the sample has been rumored to be working on a home security 121 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:59,960 camera for this device and have a home kit for it, and J229 fits 122 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,840 that description. Now, there's no confirmed launch 123 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,240 date for this one, but if Apple announced the Home Hub in the 124 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,160 spring, they might preview the camera alongside it. 125 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,720 Now, personal detection could enable smart home automations 126 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,240 beyond just profile switching. The hub might turn on the lights 127 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,520 when someone enters the room and might recognize hand gestures 128 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,040 from longer range control. Apple's also considering 129 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,560 additional sensors to plug into outlets throughout the home to 130 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,800 interface with the hub, though it's unclear if those will 131 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,560 actually shift. Now imagine this. 132 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,920 You have a home full of these things, and maybe you have one 133 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:40,000 when you walk in the front door. And if it's me, I would like my 134 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,440 office light on, might turn on my computer and might turn on 135 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,880 some music in the kitchen because at, you know, 6 O clock 136 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,320 at night, I'm going to go to the kitchen and I'm going to cook. 137 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,840 So maybe that Siri when I walk in the front door, the Siri in 138 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,040 the kitchen will start playing some some low music, some 139 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,440 cooking music that I actually enjoy and might actually 140 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,800 recommend a recipe. Or maybe I could have a recipe 141 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,560 ready the day before and Apple Intelligence will have it on the 142 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,400 screen when I walk in the front door. 143 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,240 Get my kitchen ready for me. Here we go. 144 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,240 Let's cook dinner with Apple Intelligence. 145 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,200 That would be amazing. So what do we actually know? 146 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:28,040 Right now the hardware is nearly finalized. 2 versions, 1 wall 147 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,039 mounted and one with a speaker base, face ID for authentication 148 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:34,960 and profile switching. There's a camera for video calls 149 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,000 and face scanning, Apple Intelligence of course, a widget 150 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,480 based interface with no App Store at launch that just got to 151 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,360 be pre installed apps only, and a launch window of March or 152 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:50,520 April of 2025. But there's competitors. 153 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,200 Google's been selling smart displays for years. 154 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,640 Amazon has the Echo and several smaller models. 155 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,720 Those products already do many of the things Apple is 156 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,600 describing now. The difference is integration. 157 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,000 Apple's hub will tie into the existing Apple ecosystem, 158 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,160 including Homekit, iCloud and also Siri. 159 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,240 For people already using iPhones, iPads and Macs. 160 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,040 This is a big deal. For people using Google or 161 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,320 Amazon devices, Apple century into this market might not 162 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,720 change much. I know I have an Apple phone but 163 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:25,800 we use Amazon devices at home. They just tie in with everything 164 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,240 we already have. So we might consider having 165 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,120 Apple devices instead of Amazon depending on the price range. 166 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:37,120 You know, Google and Amazon, you can pick them up for 100 or 167 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,680 couple $100 and on like a Black Friday sale, you get them for 168 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:45,560 under $100. So if Apple has something, you 169 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:50,040 know, competitive with that, but if they have better features and 170 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:54,440 also tie in with my phone better, then absolutely I would 171 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:59,960 switch over to an Apple device. It's going to be like part of 172 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:03,920 the home pod line up rather than just a stand alone product 173 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:05,800 category to this this new device. 174 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,000 That would mean it can piece directly with smart speakers 175 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,960 that have displays, not with tablets or iPad. 176 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,560 So you can keep your iPad around the speaker based version 177 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:18,280 supports that positioning built in speakers come standard in an 178 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:20,440 optional dock. You can add more speakers and 179 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:24,560 the wall mounted device will also have speakers in the 180 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:27,820 future, possibly not at launch, but maybe there will be an add 181 00:10:27,820 --> 00:10:31,000 on in the future, not sure. It's basically an iPad for your 182 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,640 wall, a small iPad, A7 inch iPad. 183 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,400 So iPad mini basically. So we're going to see how that 184 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,760 goes. But can Apple differentiate 185 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,760 enough to justify what will likely be a premium price 186 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:45,960 though? Face ID and person detection are 187 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:47,880 very strong features, especially for me. 188 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:49,480 I would love that. I would love my house to be 189 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,080 automated more. Apple intelligence and the new 190 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,160 Siri could be strong features if they work as promised. 191 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,360 Google and Amazon have years of iteration behind the products 192 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,800 and they sell them at aggressive price points under $100. 193 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,920 Apple's Home Hub will need to do something those devices cannot 194 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:11,720 and also do the same things that they do even better. 195 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:13,800 Hey, thank you so much for listening today. 196 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:15,840 I really do appreciate your support. 197 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,680 If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow 198 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:20,880 button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening 199 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,520 on right now, I greatly appreciate it. 200 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,200 It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never 201 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:29,160 miss an episode. And each episode is about 10 202 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,800 minutes or less to get you caught up quickly. 203 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,920 And please, if you want to support the show even more, go 204 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:40,200 to patreon.com/stage Zero. And please take care of 205 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,560 yourselves and each other. And I'll see you tomorrow.