After seeing Google Assistant Smart Displays from Lenovo, JBL, LG, and Google, it's now time for another big electronics maker to join the fray: KitchenAid. Wait, what? OK, see, there's a simple explanation: KitchenAid is owned by Whirlpool. No, still doesn't make sense. Well, Ryne called the Lenovo Smart Display "the best new kitchen appliance since the dishwasher" and our best guess is KitchenAid read that and thought, " Nah, we can do better."

Alright, all jokes aside, this KitchenAid Smart Display makes sense in a way. Smart Displays have a real sense of purpose in the kitchen: timers, recipes, unit conversions, smart home controls, music while cooking or doing dishes, YouTube videos and tutorials, and a photo slideshow when not in use... If KitchenAid is making appliances for your kitchen, it's not a big leap to imagine it wanting that new potential spot on your countertop.

Details on the unit are sparse so far, but the press image shows a lean design, less focus on sound, and possibly no camera. We know it'll have a 10" display, IPX5 water resistance (it's resistant to water splashes and jets, better than JBL's IPX4), use Android Things as its underlying platform, and have "exclusive" extra cooking content from Yummly. It'll let you see personalized recommendations, walk you through the recipe steps, and even includes a Pro tier with video guides.

It's this Yummly integration that piques my interest the most. I've been using Yummly on my tablet for over a year to browse, search, and categorize recipes. I love it and I've wanted access to it on my Lenovo Smart Display for a while. (I know I can ask Google Assistant for the recipe and hope to find it from the source site, but I can't browse or add to my Yummly from it).

The information we have now seems to indicate that the Yummly service will be exclusive to this KitchenAid display, though I have trouble figuring out how this could be possible if it's using Google Assistant — unless there's a way for manufacturers to customize their units with built-in apps or special content, which we haven't seen so far. I just want a Yummly Actions on Google service like Tasty's on my Smart Display and I'll be happy. One can hope.

You can expect the KitchenAid Smart Display to be available in the second half of the year and cost somewhere between $200 and $300.

PRESS RELEASE

Source: CNET, KitchenAid