Apple is reportedly planning a new iPhone interface in the style of a smart home display.
The interface, which will show information like notifications, calendar appointments and weather, is part of several new features for the iOS 17 software update, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (May 24).
This view will show up when iPhones are locked and in a horizontal position, functioning similarly to Google’s and Amazon’s dedicated displays, the report said.
The design is meant to make iPhones more useful and part of a wider effort to embed live information into more parts of Apple software, according to the report. The company is set to debut the interface — along with its mixed-reality headset — at its Worldwide Developers Conference next month.
PYMNTS has contacted Apple for comment but has not yet received a reply.
The news comes two weeks after rival Google debuted the Pixel Fold, its first foldable phone, set to begin shipping in June.
The phone is the size of a typical smartphone when closed and fits into the user’s palm or pocket. It has an exterior screen that can be used like that of any other Pixel phone. When open, the phone has a 7.6-inch interior screen and a thinner profile than other foldable models.
Meanwhile, PYMNTS’ Karen Webster wrote this week about Apple’s place in the AI race compared to Google and Amazon.
“It’s possible that one of the reasons that we may not have heard much from Apple on the topic is because it is a tough one for Apple to navigate,” Webster wrote. “Apple is no AI novice or lightweight. Its neural network uses AI — and its own AI chip — to improve the iPhones’ computational efficiencies so that users have a better experience.”
However, to compete in the generative AI market, Apple needs a lot of data and has said it only collects enough data about a user to maintain their accounts.
Compiling more data isn’t a straightforward effort, as Apple would need to balance the image of the platform that protects users’ privacy and doesn’t monetize their data with a desire to compete in the generative AI space.