Apple is working on a higher-end version of its HomeView smart home hub, with a 9-inch screen that swivels a full 360 degrees on a robotic arm, Mark Gurman reported. He expects it to launch in 2027 or 2028.
That is the whole of the report. The device is a premium tier of the new HomeView, with a larger display than the standard model. The motion comes from a robotic arm rather than a fixed stand. Gurman reported no price and no specs beyond the screen size and the arm, and Apple has not announced a Max model. The window spans two calendar years, a spread of one year, which reads as a target rather than a schedule.
The arm is the interesting part. Screen-equipped home hubs from Amazon and Google have mostly been static objects that sit on a counter. Amazon's Echo Show 10 is the notable exception: its screen turns on a motorized base to follow the user around a room. An arm that carries the whole display is a different mechanism aimed at what looks like the same problem, keeping the screen facing whoever is talking to it.
That makes the Max a test of whether movement is worth paying for. A motor adds cost and a part that can wear out, in a product that spends most of its life on a kitchen counter or a shelf. Whether Apple thinks a 9-inch screen that follows you around is a premium feature or a gimmick will show up first in the price.