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Apple HomeView could be followed by a HomeView Max.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple is reportedly hard at work on a bigger, better version of the HomeView smart display. The follow-up version will apparently boast a larger screen that turns on its own, and could be dubbed something like HomeView Max, Ultra or 360, according to a new report.

That would help fix a clear limitation of the current version, whose screen stays put. 

HomeView Max would sport a 9-inch screen on a robotic arm

Announced last week, Apple’s HomeView is a smart home display designed to serve as a central hub for controlling connected devices, communicating with family members and accessing useful information. It features a 7-inch screen mounted on a stainless steel hinge that lets users adjust its viewing angle.

The device can recognize up to six people by their faces and voices, then display a personalized home screen for each. That makes the device useful in shared spaces such as kitchens and living rooms.

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple continues to work on a higher-end model with a 9-inch display and a motorized arm that lets the screen swivel a full 360 degrees. The upgraded HomeView would use voice recognition to figure out who’s speaking, then automatically turn toward that person.

“The current HomeView is designed to recognize different people and provide personalized responses, but it still requires them to come to the screen or physically reposition it,” Gurman wrote. “The robotic model would eliminate that limitation, making the device feel more like a shared household companion than a stationary display.”

Internally, the project reportedly bears the code name J595. And Gurman says the robotic model isn’t a HomeView successor, but a more premium option that would exist alongside the current one.

• See also: Apple HomeView: 7 features and catches worth knowing

Don’t expect it anytime soon

Gurman, who has been reporting on Apple’s effort to create a device that essentially puts an iPad on a robotic arm since 2021, says he now expects the larger HomeView to arrive in 2027 or 2028.

Siri AI problems delayed the HomeView’s launch by years. And Apple has reportedly run into engineering challenges with the next model’s motor system, which could explain the extended wait for a bigger HomeView.

Still, the idea makes sense for a shared screen. Picture a FaceTime call where the camera and screen follow you around the kitchen. Or imagine a family around a kitchen counter, with the display turning toward whoever speaks.

• See also: Why HomeView doesn’t have its own App Store

The regular HomeView costs $299 and ships November 13.