Apple’s first smart home display could pay homage to a classic iMac

The smart home display that Apple is rumored to be releasing next year could sport a look that harkens back to the iMac G4, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests in his Power On newsletter today.

The new smart home display will apparently be small. Gurman writes it will have a square display angled above a small base that makes it “reminiscent of the circular bottom of the iMac G4 from a couple of decades ago.” It may have speakers, essentially making it the HomePod with a screen that’s been rumored as one of Apple’s possible smart home futures.

Gurman didn’t say how much this device might cost but has hinted at an “affordable” smart home device with a square display in the past. Rumors have suggested Apple will release a $1,000 model with a robotic arm that moves the display around, but that’s not expected until 2026 at the earliest, he reiterates today. Both devices are expected to run bespoke versions of some Apple apps, like FaceTime, Calendar, and Notes, and to work with Apple Intelligence, which Apple’s current smart home devices don’t support.

I’m on the record as loving the look of the iMac G4 (I do use one as an external display, after all). And the idea that the rumored robotic display might look like it is attractive, especially in light of those early Apple ads that made the iMac G4 move around like the Pixar lamp. If Apple releases and adorable little smart home rendition of the iMac G4 — robotic or not — that I can plop on my countertop to use for timers or YouTube videos while I cook dinner? I’ll have a very hard time saying no to that.