The case for a HomePlay mode on iPad.
iPad and iPad mini can become Smart Displays.
I recently experienced the Google Home Hub. It’s really good at showing photos and for getting answers from Google. Home Hub solves the problem of: how do you browse all your photos with the least friction? Then, I wondered how Apple should solve this problem and offer a better experience than everyone.
iOS on iPad used to have a feature called Picture Frame till iOS 6. Apple killed it when they redesigned the system in iOS 7. iCloud Photo Library debuted in iOS 8 and has improved a lot. Memories in Photos app is one of the best features in the recent past & shockingly Siri Watch Face is one of the best ways to relive photos considering the screen size of Apple Watch.
Right now, the best way to experience Photo Memories is through the Photos app. The app showcases memories in the app, through the widget, notifications & Siri Watch Face. iPad provides the best way to experience photos and here’s how Apple can improve the experience.
Smart Displays vs iPad
With rumors of a new cheaper 5th gen iPad mini with Smart Connector priced at $249, I think Apple can lead the Smart Display category with its tight hardware, software & services integration. Privacy is the key here and only Apple can provide the best overall experience. Google didn’t even put a camera on the Home Hub for privacy issues. Facebook Portal with a camera lock is priced at $349 (Portal+) has privacy issues. Amazon Echo Show is priced at $229 but has less number of skills that use the new Alexa Presentation Language(APL). Instead of building a new platform from scratch, Apple can use the power of iOS and the iPad as a Trojan horse.
Hardware
Apple should make a new accessory with powerful mics and a small speaker where an iPad can be placed. This will beef up the iPad with mics for users to interact with Siri. Ideally it should look like the Smart Folio when viewing videos. The two speakers on iPad and the speaker from the accessory should work together to provide a sound that is similar to the four speakers on iPad Pro. The accessory will charge the iPad as it’s always connected to power. iOS can already manage the charging on iPhone when a Smart Battery Case is used. Apple can just use the same technology here to manage the iPad battery. The battery on iPad will make the experience mobile and it will power the experience temporarily when it’s placed in the patio or while cooking in the kitchen if that’s not the default location.
Software
When iPad is placed on this stand, iOS on iPad should enable HomePlay mode.
HomePlay mode by default must show Photos Library just like on tvOS. It can use iPad sensors to adjust the display brightness, light or dark mode & other privacy controls like guest mode etc.
HomePlay is like CarPlay but on the same display. The familiar iOS UI turns into a Proactive screen suitable for Siri similar to Siri Watch Face on watchOS but more powerful. Apple can use illustrations, pictures and animation for most used Siri requests just like its doing in the Tips app and the Today tab in App Store. These changes should happen on the server side and shouldn’t be tied to system updates.
UIKit apps suitable for this mode will use HomePlay specific views. Users interact with Siri to control HomeKit, view photos, play music, manage grocery lists, shop etc. SiriKit is already good at these tasks. Touch ID can be used for Apple Pay as user identification by Voice match is still hit and miss most of the times on Google Home and Alexa (One of my friends who works for Amazon unplugged the device as we pranked him by ordering some stuff from his account). In the future, Face ID will make this even better when it comes to the low end iPad and iPad mini with an increased range.
Apple News
Apple should create a new Apple News Format for recipes. Food magazines can publish recipes in this format and people who subscribe to these magazines in News can browse the recipes.
This cooking format template must have specific keys in Apple News Format JSON document for recipes and for time in between the steps. The iPad can show each step and then move to the next step after the timer ends. Apple Watch should display the steps and provide haptic feedback just like while driving using Maps.
The recipe articles should have videos where the video timeline and steps are synced. This will provide a much better experience than just watching a cooking video on YouTube or reading the steps for a recipe. Google Home Hub could do only one of these at a time.
App Store
Discoverability is a major issue for any voice assistants’ capabilities. Apple can solve this issue using the App Store. Today Stories specific to Siri can be presented to users to discover new capabilities.
Siri
Currently, Siri Shortcuts require users to add a custom phrase. I think Apple will use the intents phrase provided by developers and expand the vocabulary using technology from Vocal IQ. So, users can invoke Shortcuts without creating a custom phrase and speaking the exact phrase. Going forward Siri will figure out what to do when two apps donate the same phrase, just like the Contacts app which assigns third party apps for calling, messaging in contact cards if you use third party services over Messages and FaceTime.
Apple can do all these things and more to provide a better experience today without even creating a new product and a platform. iPad with the help of iOS and an accessory can become the Smart Display in Apple’s lineup.
