The next iPad could be used as a smart display

The iPad is the tablet of choice for many, and Manzana has been turning it more and more into an alternative to the lifelong laptop, but now it wants to do something else: that users can use it as a smart display.

One of the big news in Google I/O It was the new system. speaker coupling pixel-tablet. An interesting idea for those who use the tablet as device domesticespecially if it is also focused on a command, such as the connected home.

And even though Manzana removed the ability to use the iPad as a central accessory in iOS 16.1 with the transition to a new architecture, it seems that they liked the idea.

So according to Mark Gurman, the company is working on a similar dock for the iPad, due to arrive sometime in 2023. This would mean that the iPad would also focus more on the connected home and it would fulfill some rumors that suggested a HomePod-type device with a screen.

And even though Apple pulled some support for the iPad as an accessory hub, this supposed dock can function as an accessory hub even when the iPad isn’t home, so the company would be killing two birds with one stone.

An iPad with a greater role in the connected home

Furthermore, with the arrival of Thread it would be quite easy to add connected home functionality to such a device.

Gurman points out that Apple wants to promote the iPad as a home accessory. The arrival of a base with speakerphone and connected home functions would mean combine the functions of AppleTViPad and HomePod in a single device.

In short, it would be Apple’s alternative to home devices like the Amazon EchoShowbut keeping the same functions as the iPad, which makes it a good option when it comes to portable devices.

However, the arrival of this new iPad would not rule out the possibility of the rumored new HomePod; that is, it would not replace it. According to Gurman, Apple is still working on a new HomePod model that is larger than the mini version and should arrive next year.

Be that as it may, we must hope that now that it arrives Matter, things speed up one way or another. Whether through new Apple products or new third-party accessories that open the door to the expected interoperability.

Wifi and Thread: two of the most important points of Matter

First, what is Matter? in May 2022 this technology was born, that its partners amazonManzana, Google, SamsungZigbee Alliance and other companies, can work together on an open standard.

Matter’s background is very simple, but very important for the development of this industry. If it materializes in the market, it will allow smart devices to work in parallel with any voice assistant or connected home system.

On the one hand, the Wi-Fi integration enables Matter devices to interact over a high-bandwidth local network and enables smart home devices to communicate with the cloud.

Threadfor its part, provides a mesh network and is especially efficient in terms of being efficient and, above all, reliable when it comes to working.

However, they are not the only communication and connection systems that are implemented in the standard. This initial version of Matter supports Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread, and uses Bluetooth low-energy for device commissioning.