Apple is set to host the first of possibly two October hardware events tomorrow, and the likelihood is that the "Welcome Home" event will focus on smart home gadgets. According to Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg, that includes an all-new product called a HomeView, as well as updates to the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini.
Gurman's report zeroes in on the HomeView as the product that will 'close the biggest hole in its ecosystem' by essentially fusing an iPad with a HomePod. Rumors have circulated about this product for a long time but Gurman has corroborated previous reports — 24 hours before the product is officially unveiled.
This will be an all-new product to act as the control center for your smart home, but Apple has apparently partnered with other brands to make sure that compatible accessories — like a smart doorbell and thermostat — are in production.
Part of the reason Apple's smart home ambitions haven't been met was, as Gurman puts it, because Siri's capabilities were never "reliable or capable enough to serve as the connective tissue holding everything together". That's changed with Siri AI and Apple now appears ready to launch an all-out assault on the smart home market.
Here's what to expect at tomorrow's event.
Apple HomeView smart home hub
According to the report, the HomeView will be equipped with an A18 chip, likely paired with the same 8GB of RAM used in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus that it first appeared in. The device will use Siri AI for voice control and be available in either a free-standing tabletop version or as a wall-mounted version that packs the speaker into a flat, square wall plate.
Despite being built on the shoulders of the HomePod, the HomeView will reportedly feature better sound than Apple's smart speaker and come in a choice of four colors: Gray, Silver, Starlight and Rose. However, the wall-mounted version will be limited to Gray and Silver.
There are a few caveats also apparently in place with the HomeView. While it will be revealed tomorrow, Gurman says it won't launch until "mid-November". Furthermore, it will arrive with first-party Apple apps on board, but no App Store for any third-party options. Lastly, the mentioned accessories above — which will also include indoor and outdoor security lights, a deadbolt lock and a floodlight camera — won't ship until later this year "at the earliest."
So while the arrival of a wholly new Apple product is an exciting one, Apple may have a bit of a waiting game to play with this one.
New Apple TV 4K
It was a bit of a surprise not to see a new Apple TV 4K announced back in September but apparently the device is coming tomorrow. The current Apple TV is nearly four years old and, according to the leaks, little will change when it comes to the outward appearance.
Instead, the new set-top box will have an upgraded A17 Pro chip inside (taking over from the A15 Bionic) as well as a RAM boost to 8GB. It will also feature the N1 chip and support for Apple Intelligence, Siri AI and — crucially — Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Oh, and we may get a revamped Siri Remote.
One thing we don't know is whether or not the new Apple 4K TV will stick at the same $199 starting price (it was hiked earlier this year from $129) or be increased further.
New HomePod mini
Like the Apple 4K TV, we are probably going to see a long-overdue refresh to the HomePod mini that upgrades the internals but keeps the outward design exactly the same. Well, apart from some new colors. Gurman claims we'll see the speaker drop in Green, Pink, Blue, White and Midnight.
The new HomePod mini 2 will be equipped with the same S10 chip that debuted in the Apple Watch Series 10 — a big upgrade over the S5 in the current version. As someone who still uses a first-gen Apple HomePod, I'm really looking forward to even an iterative update to Apple's smart speaker.
Again, as with the Apple 4K TV, I just hope that Apple doesn't increase the pricing too much. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. As a reminder, the event is taking place in New York and is set to kick off at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. BST.
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