"Upgrading from 17 to 18 is pointless!" Gurman reveals Apple's next "killer app": the first Siri AI home hub and touchscreen MacBook Pro could be released as early as October.
Gurman recently broke several major exclusives: the touchscreen MacBook Pro will be unveiled as early as October, Apple's smart home hub is "stocked in global warehouses", the upgrade value of the iPhone 18 Pro is questionable, and Apple is replacing traditional media reports with influencer marketing.
In the October 2nd premiere of Bloomberg's "Power On" podcast, veteran Apple technology journalist Mark Gurman and Bloomberg technology editor Vlad Savov engaged in an in-depth conversation about Apple's upcoming fall product launch event. The program not only revealed Apple's ambitious plans for the smart home market and details of its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, but also offered insightful commentary on the newly released iPhone 18 series and the strategic challenges facing new CEO John Ternus.
(Left: Gurman; Right: Vlad Savov)
Gurman has been reporting on Apple for 17 years since 2008, and his leaks have always been regarded by the market as an important reference for predicting Apple products. This podcast premiere is extremely information-dense, with several key product milestones being systematically disclosed for the first time.
The "killer app" for entering the smart home market: codenamed J490 and the new Siri AI system
With the mobile device market saturated, the market is paying close attention to Apple's future growth potential. Gurman revealed on the show that Apple's internally codenamed "J490" AI Smart Home Hub will be the key to breaking the deadlock.
"This is Apple's next 'Big Thing,' and it's only a few weeks away from release," Gurman emphasized. He pointed out that Apple's past attempts in the smart home field (such as the iPod Hi-Fi and the early HomePod) were "half-finished products," but the J490 will completely change that.
This device is described as "Apple's Amazon Echo Show in the Apple universe," featuring a roughly 6-inch square touchscreen. Its biggest selling point is its brand-new operating system.
"What would it be like if Siri AI had an operating system, instead of just being an app or interface on a phone? This is the answer," Gurman quoted him as saying. He added that the system would combine features of Watch OS and standby mode, and that "voice would become the primary interface interaction element."
Regarding the commercialization that investors are concerned about, Gurman revealed that the product is ready: "These brand-new Siri AI smart home hubs are piled up from top to bottom in warehouses around the world, ready to be shipped at any time."
In addition, Apple is building a massive ecosystem matrix, including the HomePod mini with a larger chip, the new Apple TV, and a new AI security camera codenamed "J450" that does not record video (providing only text descriptions via AI to avoid privacy controversies).
Regarding pricing and profit margins, Gurman pointed out market concerns: "Ideally, the cost of this product should be between $200 and $300. But considering the display, related technology, and speaker base, I would be very surprised if it were priced below $300."
Furthermore, the global memory shortage could further drive up the cost of the device, making it a de facto "luxury item."
The touchscreen MacBook Pro is expected to debut as early as October, introducing OLED technology for the first time.
In addition to smart home technology, Apple's traditional PC business will also undergo a major transformation. Gurman confirmed that Apple will launch its first touchscreen-enabled MacBook Pro as early as October this year (or possibly as late as November).
To adapt to touchscreens, Apple is internally testing macOS 27.2 Beta, which features a major "touch-friendly" redesign of volume controls, buttons, and Control Center icons.
He pointed out that Apple has carried out a major redesign of the macOS system interface, codenamed "Golden Gate," to better adapt to touch interaction, involving changes to volume control, buttons, control center, and application icons, "similar to the redesign of the iPhone Duo, which is to make the system more touch-friendly."
More importantly, there's a leap in hardware configuration. Gurman revealed: "Besides the touchscreen, it will be the first Mac with two other features: Dynamic Island...and OLED. This is the first time OLED has been introduced to a Mac." The chip will be either the M5 Pro or M5 Max.
He revealed that Apple is currently internally testing the device using a beta version of macOS 27.2, which has recently been made available to developers.
The iPhone 18 series has been criticized as "meaningless upgrades," prompting Apple to shift its marketing strategy towards influencers.
The program offered a very frank review of the newly launched iPhone 18 Pro series, which accounts for the majority of Apple's revenue.
"This is a classic 'S' generation product (a transitional model) through and through," Gurman admitted after testing it. "What you get is a processor that you can't feel any faster in actual use, a variable aperture camera feature that 99.9% of people don't know how to use... There's absolutely no reason to upgrade."
As the marginal returns of hardware innovation diminish, Apple is drastically adjusting its marketing strategy. Gurman pointedly remarked: "They know there's no real reason to upgrade from the 17 Pro to the 18 Pro, so what do they do? They have to bring in influencers."
He observed that Apple is increasingly allocating resources to KOLs on Instagram and TikTok, rather than traditional media journalists.
"They're making videos talking about how this is the greatest invention since sliced bread... This is good for Apple's sales and marketing, but I think it's giving consumers a taste of dishonest opinions endorsed by Apple, which isn't good for them."
This shift in marketing model is essentially a defensive business strategy adopted by Apple during the stage of minor product innovation in order to maintain high prices and sales volume.
The New CEO's Challenge: Finding the "Trillion-Dollar" Leverage to Break Through the iPhone Barrier
Accompanying the expansion of its product line is a power transition at the top of Apple's management. The market is highly focused on how the new CEO, Tenus, will lead Apple past its current market capitalization ceiling.
When asked what questions he would ask Truss if he were to interview him, Gurman went straight to the point:
"Do you think Apple needs some new, disruptive products to usher in an era beyond the iPhone? ... Or will it continue to focus on the phone and build peripherals around it during its 15 to 20-year CEO tenure?"
In addition, Gurman believes that it is a pity that Apple gave up on making cars, because self-driving cars were originally Apple's "long-term leverage to leap from a market value of $4 trillion or $5 trillion to a market value of $10 trillion".
After losing the enormous potential of the automotive industry, whether Tenus can recreate a convincing growth blueprint for Wall Street through the Siri AI home ecosystem and high-value-added hardware such as foldable/touchscreen Macs will be the biggest test of his tenure.
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