This week, Apple introduced visionOS 26, featuring one of its most exciting attributes: spatial widgets. These are customizable, three-dimensional components that users can position within their environment and view conveniently while using the Apple Vision Pro.
While they are technically fascinating and visually striking—especially the wall-mounted options—they may also hint at Apple’s elusive smart home product.
Offering customizable widgets for Batteries, Calendar, Clock, Music, News, Notes, Photos, Podcasts, Reminders, Stocks, and Weather (plus third-party integrations), these enhancements to the Apple Vision Pro significantly enrich the headset’s productivity capabilities.
When I first saw them, my mind immediately raced to Apple’s rumored HomePad (a speculative name from the rumor mill, not Apple), envisioned as a wall-mounted or dockable tablet designed for home automation, HomeKit scenes, intercom functions, cameras, and quick access to personal data.
Prototyping in Plain Sight
If you own a Google Nest Hub or an Amazon Echo Show, you’re likely familiar with the benefits these smart displays contribute to daily life. While they aren’t for everyone, they have seamlessly integrated into many homes, providing bite-sized information at a glance—from weather updates to reminders.
This is why the new spatial widgets might resonate more with smart display users than the average person. At the same time, the notion of securing a static (even if aesthetically pleasing) widget to a digital wall might seem somewhat limiting compared to the contextual understanding offered by those physical displays.
Yes, these spatial widgets are excellent for Vision Pro users seeking consistent, glanceable information. However, it seems a natural evolution could be a widget system like Smart Stack, which could deliver contextually relevant information precisely when it’s needed.
From here, it’s easy to envision such concepts extending to a physical smart display. Incorporate a couple of cameras, and you’ve got the potential for Spatial Photos. It’s not as straightforward (or inexpensive), but you get the idea.
Bringing It Home
The new visionOS 26 spatial widgets look impressive, without a doubt. More interestingly, they demonstrate Apple’s exploration of the user experience surrounding the concept of ambient information.
Suddenly, the notion of a “HomePad” seems less like a clone of the Echo Show or a repurposed iPad, and more like a specialized dashboard that actively adapts to its environment.
The question remains whether this will dissuade people from simply mounting an iPad on the wall. But perhaps that’s not the main concern. While many thought Apple would need to create a budget-friendly version to make the HomePad feasible, what if they focus on intelligence instead, crafting something an iPad simply can’t offer?
If nothing else, that certainly feels more in line with Apple’s ethos than the alternative.
