Apple reportedly making an iPad dock accessory

Apple is reportedly working on a docking accessory for the iPad. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who says the device could be coming next year.

According to his sources, the upcoming iPad accessory would work similarly to Google’s Pixel Tablet dock. It would turn an iPad into a smart display and a way to control your smart home devices.

Gurman also reported on a similar device that “combines an iPad with a speaker hub.” That would have been a standalone device, with no undocking features.

He says Apple has also been working on this dock for iPads to “accomplish much of the same thing.”

This would be in direct competition with the Pixel Tablet, with one major difference — the sheer number of iPads that are already owned by consumers.

Think about it, if every older iPad could instantly turn into a smart display for home use, that accessory would sell like crazy.

I’ve got an iPad Air 2 with an anemic 16GB of storage. Turning it into a smart screen to control my smart home devices would be awesome.

I could use it to watch Apple TV while I’m in the kitchen cooking. Or see who’s at the door by asking Siri to show me my front door. Or any number of other smart home things that I normally use my iPhone to control.

This push would give Apple a foothold in the smart home market to bring even more devices out. Devices like the full-sized HomePod, or the aforementioned all-in-one smart screen.

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