iPad mini Why can't Apple make the iPad Mini a smart home tablet too?

[Canyda]

So we have all seen what Google plans to do with their new Pixel tablet next year, and that's have it double as a smart home display when you turn it sideways and put it on its new dock.

My question is why hasn't Apple already done this with the iPad?

Honestly, I'd rather be able to use my iPad mini beside my bed at night for all the things for which i currently use my Google Nest Hub (i.e. mainly a dimmed clock with the weather and showing my morning alarm, as well as the occasional query for traffic and music) and then be able to pick it up the next day and use it, well, as my iPad.

Honestly, I think Google's on the right track here giving you a device that effectively cannibalizes its own Nest Hub line, but gives consumers a product that can be used multiple ways in a manner more convenient than is found on the iPad.

Hope Apple follows suit.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Look at Apple's smart home track record. It's abysmal and so is Siri, Apple knows this and could probably care less since most of their money is from iPhones and Macbooks.

 

[Ryan1524]

I’d love for Apple to copy this idea, or if they thought of this prior to google…release it before google release theirs.

 

[Abazigal]

My guess is that Apple doesn’t envision its users using the ipad while it is docked to a stationary stand.

 

[Pakaku]

Why dock it? It should be perfectly capable of Homekit things regardless of being docked or not.

 

[Zazoh]

You can kinda do all that now with an iPad. Google is way better at voice stuff anyway.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Because it's going backwards when we've been OK using "Hey, Siri" for years now and we have the HomePod and are wirelessly charging iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches on the same thing.

They're doing it because people are still putting them in drawers. Apple doesn't have that issue with the iPad.

 

[Beefbowl]

That’s pretty neat and gives a solid reason to buy an Android tablet. I’ve owned two and never really found killer use cases for them.

I kind of appreciate how “dumb” the current nest hub is and their deliberate camera-free design. I have to hope that this has a smart home hub mode where you can do stuff like turn on lights etc without needing to put in a passcode, but can’t get into email or apps.

I’m not sure I’d go for an Apple variant. Despite owning two HomePods, I kinda gave up on Siri for …well, anything. At least they make awesome home theater speakers.

 

[The Game 161]

doesn't help siri is just awful compared to google assistant.

 

[Canyda]

Why dock it? It should be perfectly capable of Homekit things regardless of being docked or not.

Except an iPad cannot natively do some of the basic things that a Nest Hub can, i.e., become a nightstand alarm clock with always-on dimmed display showing the time and the alarm time. Frankly, that's the primary use of my Nest Hub and, believe me, I played with my iPad Mini for quite a while trying to duplicate that unsuccessfully.

 

[Pakaku]

Except an iPad cannot natively do some of the basic things that a Nest Hub can, i.e., become a nightstand alarm clock with always-on dimmed display showing the time and the alarm time. Frankly, that's the primary use of my Nest Hub and, believe me, I played with my iPad Mini for quite a while trying to duplicate that unsuccessfully.

iPhones are doing always-on screen stuff, so I could see the iPad getting that sort of thing later. It would be nice to have things like the weather forecast and other things on the screen, too. Take the Apple Watch complications and expand that to an iPad screen.

You don't really need it docked for that, though. The best reason to dock it would be to keep it charged, and that doesn't really have any bearing on the software itself. You could technically achieve that with something as plain as a rolled-up Smart Cover... There should be proper charging docks out there, though I personally would want something that would mount the iPad magnetically and charge through the Smart Connector

 

[Canyda]

Huzzah!

Apple Nears M2 iPad Pro Launch and Plans Google Tablet-Like Home Hub

Apple’s next product launch is just days away. Also: The company withholds new employee benefits from its unionized retail store, but that didn’t stop a big labor win at another location. What’s more: Apple Card users will get Goldman Sachs savings accounts, Intel plans major layoffs, and Apple...

www.bloomberg.com

Beyond this new iPad Pro, the company is looking to eventually push its tablet deeper into the home with a plan to turn the device into a smart hub and speaker. The approach would be similar to what Google is doing with its upcoming Pixel Tablet.

When Google first showcased that product in May, it appeared to be an old-school tablet with run-of-the-mill Android features. But earlier this month, the company disclosed it would also sell a new accessory that lets you dock the Pixel Tablet and use it like a smart display and home-control device.

I’m told Apple is working to bring similar functionality to the iPad as soon as 2023. I reported last year that Apple is exploring a stand-alone device that combines an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on a kitchen counter, in the living room or on their nightstand. But Apple also has worked on an iPad docking accessory that it could sell separately and would accomplish much of the same thing.