**Opinion: Apple Could Significantly Impact the Smart Display Market**
Following a period of stagnation in innovation, smart displays are once again gaining attention. Although smart TVs have become an essential part of numerous homes, standalone smart displays—like the Google Nest Hub Max and Amazon Echo Show—have grappled with achieving widespread acceptance. Nevertheless, recent developments indicate a revival in this sector, with Apple purportedly preparing to enter the market. If Apple follows through with its anticipated smart display, it might transform the landscape, addressing persistent user issues while compelling rivals to innovate.
### The Good: A Promising Apple Smart Display
When assessing new technologies, the most effective products tend to resolve actual user challenges. Smart displays have frequently been criticized for resembling solutions looking for problems, but Apple’s expected entry could alter that perception.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is reportedly working on a smart display that could be mounted on walls, utilizing AI to navigate various apps. The device is anticipated to deeply integrate with Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, which currently supports a variety of third-party smart home gadgets such as cameras, thermostats, and lighting systems. This could enable Apple’s smart display to serve as a central hub for orchestrating a fragmented smart home environment.
The features being discussed encompass controlling household appliances, interacting with Siri, and making FaceTime calls. Furthermore, the device would support Apple applications for activities like web browsing, playing music, and managing calendars. It may also double as a digital photo frame, showcasing a slideshow of user images. If implemented effectively, this product could fulfill the existing void for a cohesive, privacy-oriented smart home hub.
Apple’s strong emphasis on user privacy might also differentiate its smart display in the marketplace. For instance, the HomePod already encrypts all communications with its servers, and the HomeKit Secure Video ensures that security footage is analyzed and encrypted locally before being uploaded to iCloud. If Apple extends these privacy protocols to its smart display, it could prompt competitors like Google and Amazon to adopt similar measures.
### The Bad: The Emergence of Smart Monitors
Despite the promising prospects of Apple’s rumored device, not all smart displays offer the same value. Over recent years, there has been an uptick in web-connected desktop monitors, such as Samsung’s M-series and LG’s MyView series. These devices aim to merge traditional monitor capabilities with smart TV-like attributes, yet they often fall short in delivering substantial value.
Many smart monitors are primarily constructed for video conferencing or using streaming applications like Netflix. Although these functionalities may attract specialized audiences, they fail to provide enough justification for adding yet another internet-connected device to most homes. Additionally, these monitors often present the same privacy issues as smart TVs, such as user tracking and targeted advertisements.
The trend of embedding smart TV operating systems into monitors raises important questions about the future availability of “dumb” monitors—those without internet connectivity. As smart TVs have become increasingly prevalent, it has grown more challenging to find a television without integrated tracking and advertisements. The same fate may befall monitors, leaving consumers with fewer options.
### The Ugly: Amazon’s Echo Show and Privacy Challenges
The lineup of Amazon’s Echo Show illustrates the concerning aspects of the smart display market. Although these devices are marketed as useful hubs for managing smart homes, calendars, and shopping lists, they also function as tools for Amazon to collect user information. This data can subsequently be utilized to enhance Amazon’s advertising and e-commerce operations.
The recently unveiled Echo Show 21, Amazon’s largest smart display to date, underscores these issues. Its larger display makes it ideal for streaming content, but it also amplifies Amazon’s capacity to monitor user behavior. For instance, the device prompts users to save recipes, compile shopping lists, and watch Amazon Prime Video—all of which contribute to Amazon’s extensive business ecosystem.
Amazon has faced backlash for its approach to user privacy previously. The company has been found to retain Alexa recordings indefinitely, including those from children, and employees have been discovered listening to Alexa audio and even monitoring Ring camera users. While Amazon asserts that it does not sell customer data, it does leverage it for targeted advertising and business insights. With the company reportedly developing a generative AI version of Alexa, there’s a concern that additional features might be hidden behind subscription fees, further damaging consumer trust.
### The Future of Smart Displays
The smart display market finds itself at a critical junction. On one side, companies like Apple have the opportunity to enhance the category by fulfilling genuine user needs and emphasizing privacy. On the opposite side, the rise of advertisement-driven, data-hungry devices jeopardizes consumer trust and diminishes the overall appeal of smart displays.
Should Apple make its entrance into the market, it could compel competitors like Google and Amazon to reconsider their approaches. For instance, Google hasn’t launched a new smart display since 2019’s Nest Hub Max, and its focus seems to have shifted toward Pixel Tablets. However, rumors regarding a new Nest Hub Max imply that Google may
