After a few years in which not much has happened, smart displays are back in the news. Apart from smart TVs, consumer screens that connect to the internet have never reached a mainstream audience. However, there seems to be a resurgence in making smart displays more popular. The approaches some companies take are better than others, showing a good, bad and ugly side behind the push.
Please note that for this article we are excluding smart TVs when talking about smart displays. Unlike most smart displays, smart TVs are mainstream technology. So for this piece, we'll mainly focus on devices like the Google Next Hub Max or Amazon Echo Show (as pictured above).
The good
When it comes to emerging technology, measuring the extent to which a product solves a real user problem is a good indicator of whether innovation has occurred. Products that aim to solve a problem or are glorified vehicles for advertising and tracking are not eligible.
If reports that Apple is working on its first smart display are true, there may be a solution to the problem of managing multiple smart home devices from different companies.
Apple has declined to comment on reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman about an Apple smart display in development. But Gurman recently claimed that the screen can be mounted on the wall and “use AI to navigate apps.” Gurman said it would include Apple's smart home framework HomeKit, which supports “hundreds of accessories” and can control third-party devices such as smart security cameras, thermostats and lights. According to the November 12 report:
The product will be marketed as a way to control home appliances, chat with Siri and have intercom sessions through Apple's FaceTime software. It will also be loaded with Apple apps, including apps for browsing the web, listening to news updates, and playing music. Users can access their notes and calendar information, and the device can become a slideshow for their photos.
If the device, which is said to be shaped like a 6-inch iPhone, were to be released, it would compete with the Nest Hub and Echo Show. Apple entering the smart display business could bring a greater focus on privacy and prompt other companies to make privacy a greater focus as well. Apple has already given us a taste of how it could handle smart home privacy with the HomePod. “All communications between HomePod and Apple servers are encrypted and anonymous IDs protect your identity,” according to Apple's HomePod privacy policy.
