It’s looking like a lock. Apple is set to announce its HomeView smart home hub at the October 13 “Welcome home” event. Think like an Amazon Echo Hub, but Apple-fied with a (rumored) premium design and Siri at its heart.
There’s been plenty of leaks, many from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, so let’s take a look at them all and figure out what you can expect to see Apple CEO John Ternus talk about tomorrow.
iMac G4 nostalgia
As someone who fawned over the iMac G4 in the window of my local PC World, this calls to me. The hardware is set to come in two form factors — first is the 6-inch screen attached to a flat, square mounting plate on the wall. This is probably the common sense option to free up countertop space…but I’m not one for common sense.
That brings me to the second form factor — that same 6-inch screen suspended over a spherical metal and fabric speaker base.
A18 muscle for Siri AI
To get Siri AI running zippy, you need some serious horsepower under the hood. That’s where the rumored A18 chip and 8GB of RAM come in. This is going to be the big differentiator from other home hubs — all of which rely exclusively on the cloud to get things done.
This should enable small models to run locally on HomeView without any of that cloud lag to do simple things like adjust lighting or temperature, while offloading to the cloud if you’ve got something more complex in mind.
The catch: no App Store allowed
This is the most surprising part if you ask me. The App Store has always been a jewel in the crown of Apple devices, so to (reportedly) see the HomeView not get one is a little concerning.
If you want third-party functionality, leaks suggest you’ll have to “project” widgets from a nearby iPhone, for things like pulling up a native YouTube recipe video, for example.
In terms of actually using this device, that could be a problem. I know many people who use their Echo Shows in the kitchen with recipe videos, so hopefully the OS gets an update to support this in the future. Also, I hope this doesn’t mean the smart home device support isn’t walled off so significantly.
The price may be steep for a smart home hub
Now for the cost. Rumors are pointing to $350, which is quite a bit more than the likes of the $249 Echo Show — placing it costwise $100 shy of the base iPad (which does have a full App Store, larger screen and a battery). That means smart home control is available on a bigger slab already.
Apple’s mission with HomeView is going to be proving that this separate device with its iMac G4 looks and a better speaker in the base justifies the cost for a more locked-down OS.
The supporting cast
No, I’m not talking about the rumored Apple TV 4K or HomePod mini 2 announcements. Rather, what seems to be a suite of devices that have been designed to play nice with the HomeView.
It’s looking likely that we’ll see a smart lock, temperature sensor and thermostat all co-developed with LG — all of which seem to have been leaked pretty extensively on X.
Here’s your first look at home accessories Apple has co-developed with LG. 🧵 1. LG Smart Deadbolt Lock • The keypad rotates to open. You can use the included swivel pin to limit the rotation on one side so it doesn’t touch a wall. • Settings for Touchpad Light Ring, Door Left Audio Alarm, and Lock Sound Volume. • Supports automatic unlocking, tap to unlock, emergency power and master codes. • Fits 2.375 in (60.3 mm) and 2.75 in (69.9 mm) brackets. • Comes with 2 mechanical keys.October 7, 2026
The Smart Deadbolt Lock will support all the things you’d expect like tap to unlock, master codes, and a rotatable keypad revealing a physical lock if you need to use a key in clutch moments.
2. LG Smart Thermostat • Settings for Far Sight Display, Humidity Display, Brightness, Language. • Calibrated Temperature/Temperature Offset options. https://t.co/Q8AAaxy4eyOctober 7, 2026
The Smart Thermostat can be temperature calibrated, and can also display humidity too with a simple UI that should be readable from across the room.
3. LG Temperature Sensor • Temperature and humidity sensing. • The sensor has a magnetic back to attach to metal surfaces. Comes with a metal plate with adhesive for attaching to other surfaces. • Replaceable battery and replacement alerts. https://t.co/MCsBbtiBieOctober 7, 2026
And this comes paired with a Temperature Sensor with a magnetic back to attach to metal surfaces (as well as an adhesive back for other surfaces). The battery is replaceable in this, and it links up with the thermostat to give an accurate real-time reading.
Outlook
Apple’s HomeKit launched in 2014, yet Amazon Echo Shows and Google Nest Hubs have owned the kitchen counters for a decade. Tomorrow, Apple looks finally set to fix that with HomeView with an updated Siri AI in tow.
I’m hoping the support isn’t walled off to specific devices, and that the wider smart home ecosystem is supported through this central command center. That alongside the “it just works” nature of Apple could be a game-changer for the home.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
