Apple prepares a new operating system for the home that could be called homeOS

Let's see what exactly we are talking about: it is not an iPhone or an Apple Watch, but rather a fixed screen designed to remain installed on a wall or a countertop at home, always on and in view of the whole family. According to what Gurman has said, the interface would show a grid of icons, widgets and customizable clock faces, a visual language that reminds us a lot of what we already know from watchOS and tvOSbut adapted to a device that lives in the living room or kitchen.

homeOS: the name that would point to a trademark registration linked to Apple

The operating system could be called homeOSjudging by the trademark registration activity of a shell company that would be related to Apple. If confirmed, it would join the family of systems already managed by the company: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOSand it would be the first software designed specifically for a fixed device in the home instead of for something we carry with us or use on the couch.

One of the functions that attracts the most attention is the integrated facial recognition. According to Gurman, the hub could identify who is looking at the screen at any given time and display personalized information accordingly. The size of the interface elements would also change automatically depending on the distance between the user and the device. For now, that's the only clue we have about how the hub would react to the movement of people around it.

A speaker with a square screen of up to 7 inches

The hub would combine a speaker similar to the HomePod with a square screen of between 6 and 7 inchesso it would be halfway between a HomePod and a desktop tablet. Siri AI would act as the engine of the entire system, managing both voice conversations and home automation through HomeKit.

Among the functions handled would also be video calls via FaceTimehome security monitoring, photo galleries, calendar and music playback. The platform would also arrive with several pre-installed Apple applications: Calendar, Camera, Apple MusicApple Podcasts, Apple News, Reminders, Notes, and a brand new app dedicated to conversations with Siri AI. Multi-user support would allow, according to what has been leaked, each member of the house to see their own information when looking at the screen, without mixing calendars or reminders from other people who also use the same hub.

Presentation could come as soon as October

Apple could present this home control center already in Octoberaccording to the dates it handles Gurman in your newsletter. At the moment neither the price nor the exact date of availability are known, and the name homeOS There is still no official confirmation beyond the detected trademark registration.

What does seem quite fitting, in the absence of Apple confirming it, is that Siri AI would occupy the center of this platform, accompanied by facial recognition and a catalog of its own applications adapted to the hub screen. If it is finally presented in October, we will have to wait to find out if homeOS ends up being the final name or if Apple has any surprises in store for the announcement. Until the official announcement arrives, it is likely that more details about homeOS and the hub itself will continue to appear, as usually happens in the weeks prior to the launches of new product categories.