The previous-generation HomePod mini can also be used as a Mac's speaker via AirPlay, but it cannot be set as the default audio output. AirPlay can also introduce audio latency.
A19 chip, for up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous model with the A15 chip.
8GB of RAM is very likely, up from 4GB of RAM in the previous model. However, this spec still needs to be confirmed.
Siri AI support, with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad required for questions involving a user's personal context. Siri AI will also be available on the second-generation and third-generation Apple TV 4K models released in 2021 and 2022 on tvOS 27.2 and later, according to Apple.
Three built-in far-field microphones for hands-free Siri AI voice control, but you can continue to use the Siri Remote if you prefer.
Surround sound functionality with four HomePods — either four HomePod mini 2 speakers or matching front and rear pairs of HomePod mini 2 and full-sized HomePod 2 speakers. All previous models remain limited to two HomePods.
Wi-Fi 7 support, up from Wi-Fi 6 for the previous model.
Bluetooth 6 support, up from Bluetooth 5 for the previous model.
AV1 and VP9 video support.
There is now only a single 128GB configuration with an Ethernet port. The previous model also had a 64GB/Wi-Fi-only model.
The white status light has been centered on the front edge of the Apple TV 4K.
The new model is around 1% heavier than the previous model. (Hey, it counts).
Here are three changes coming with the new Siri Remote:
Find My and Precision Finding support, making it easier to find the remote if it is misplaced. Precision Finding support for the Siri Remote requires an iPhone 17 or newer (excluding the iPhone 17e), iPhone Air, or iPhone Duo.
A built-in speaker that can play a sound to help you locate it.
The new remote is around 6% heavier than the previous version.
The new Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote can both be pre-ordered starting today and launch Friday, November 13. In the U.S., the new Apple TV is priced at $299 and includes the new Siri Remote. The updated remote is also available separately for $59 and is compatible with all Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models released since 2015.
MacRumors was first to reveal the name "HomeView" last week, after discovering a trademark filing from a secretive shell company that we correctly suspected was linked to Apple.
Apple was likely behind a "homeOS" trademark filing as well, but the company ultimately decided to stick with generic "HomeView software" naming, just like it refers to the HomePod's operating system as "HomePod software." For example, the device will ship with "HomeView software version 27.2."
As was rumored prior to today's announcements, the new Apple TV 4K can connect to up to four HomePods in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right positions, enabling an all-Apple surround sound system for home theater setups.
You can connect four of the new HomePod mini 2 speakers to the new Apple TV 4K, or you can mix and match pairs of HomePod mini 2 and full-sized HomePod 2 speakers, so long as the front and rear pairs of speakers match. For example, you can have two full-sized HomePod 2 speakers up front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the rear.
Apple is relying on computational audio. The company says the four HomePods and the new Apple TV 4K can "intelligently recognize each speaker's position in the room, so audio timing and levels are automatically calibrated to the space."
All previous Apple TV 4K models remain limited to two HomePods for stereo sound.
The new Apple TV 4K is available to pre-order starting today and launches Friday, November 13. In the U.S., pricing is set at $299, with only a single configuration with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7 support, and an Ethernet port available.
Siri AI support on the new HomePod mini 2 will be "available later" as part of a "future software update," according to Apple. In other words, do not expect Siri AI to be available on the speaker when it launches on Friday, October 30.
Siri AI on the HomePod mini 2 will require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad for requests involving personal context.
Apple today announced that ADT will offer professional in-home installation of its all-new wall-mounted HomeView smart home hub, confirming our scoop.
ADT technicians will be able to install the wall-mounted version of the HomeView, the new collection of related Apple Home Collection smart home accessories from LG and Schneider Home, and other eligible smart home accessories in "most areas" of the U.S., according to Apple's website. More details are available on ADT's website.
The wall-mounted HomeView is available in space gray and silver. It has the same 7-inch display as the tabletop version, and there are speaker holes on the bottom edge. It can be attached to a wall using three purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home, with options for self-installation or professional installation for an additional charge.
Apple said ADT installation services will be available in the U.S. "starting this fall."
In the U.S., both the tabletop and wall-mounted HomeView models are priced at $299.
The new Siri Remote unveiled today is compatible with all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models released since 2015, according to Apple.
The fourth-generation Siri Remote released today is available to order on Apple's online store for November 13 delivery, with U.S. pricing set at $59.
The full list of compatible models:
Apple TV 4K (4th generation)
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)
Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
Apple TV 4K (1st generation)
Apple TV HD
The key change with the new Siri Remote is full support for the Find My app and the Precision Finding feature, allowing you to find the exact location of the remote if it goes missing by following the on-screen directional arrows on a compatible iPhone. The remote now has a speaker that can play a sound to help you locate it.
Apple says Precision Finding support for the new Siri Remote requires an iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, or an iPhone 17 or later (excluding the iPhone 17e).
The remote has the same overall design, buttons, and USB-C charging port.
The new Apple TV 4K announced today is even more expensive than the previous model, with U.S. pricing set at $299.
The new Apple TV 4K only has a single configuration available with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7, and an Ethernet port. The previous model had two separate configurations that were most recently priced at $199 and $249 in the U.S. following an earlier price increase. All in all, the Apple TV 4K's starting price has now gone from $129 to $299 this year.
Apple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more.
The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous-generation model with the A15 Bionic chip, according to Apple. With the A19 chip, the Apple TV likely has an increased 8GB of RAM as well, up from 4GB in the previous model.
The more personalized and intelligent Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence is now on Apple TV. The new Apple TV 4K has three far-field microphones that allow users to talk to Siri AI in a hands-free manner, but the updated Siri Remote still has a microphone and a Siri button on its side if you prefer to use the assistant that way.
For example, Apple said users can simply ask Siri which Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year and see poster art pulled directly from the Apple TV app, along with relevant suggestions like "more award-winning comedies."
Siri AI support does not require the new model. According to Apple, it is available in beta on the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later running an upcoming tvOS 27.2 beta. At launch, Siri AI on the Apple TV will be limited to English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.
Siri AI on the Apple TV requires a paired iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence.
As for the far-field microphones, Apple explained that "advanced echo cancellation intelligently isolates a user's voice from background sound to deliver crystal-clear 'Hey Siri' or 'Siri' recognition, even while audio is playing."
Far-field Siri is supported when tvOS is set to English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, or Swedish.
Beyond the microphones and the status light now being centered on the front of the Apple TV 4K, there are no other obvious external design changes compared to the previous model. A future teardown will reveal internal changes.
The updated Siri Remote now supports the Precision Finding feature in the Find My app, making it easier to find. The remote now has a speaker built into it, allowing you to play a sound through the Find My app to help with locating it. The remote's overall design has not changed, and it still has a USB-C charging port.
For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with the new Apple TV 4K and the new HomePod mini 2 and the existing second-generation full-sized HomePod. You can have HomePod mini 2 speakers in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and right-right positions, or you can mix and match HomePod mini and HomePod speakers, so long as the front and rear pairs match. For example, you could have two full-sized HomePods up front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the rear.
The new Apple TV 4K can be pre-ordered starting today and launches on Friday, November 13. In the U.S., pricing is set at $299, with only a single configuration available now with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7 support, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The device is also equipped with a rear HDMI 2.1 port and supports Bluetooth 6.
Apple has launched a new "Switch to Safari" marketing campaign that encourages Chrome users to switch to Safari as their web browser of choice on the Mac.
"Safari is a more powerful and private browser than Chrome," says Apple.
Apple has a new "Switch to Safari" page on its website that outlines more than 10 reasons that Chrome users should switch to Safari, including faster performance for certain tasks, privacy features, and less battery life consumption.
Apple on Monday announced Remnants, an immersive horror film that will be released exclusively on the Vision Pro on Friday, October 16.
The film will be in the Apple Immersive Video format, meaning it will be a 3D video recorded in 8K resolution with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio.
Apple shared a short video of people reacting to the film while wearing the Vision Pro.
"Watch as they step inside Woldmere Castle and enter the unsettling world created by writer and director Ti West," said Apple.
Apple today announced it is Indie Games Week on the App Store, in celebration of the "incredible catalog of imaginative games made by independent teams with big dreams."
Here is an all-in-one summary of the details shared by Gurman:
Apple's home hub with a touch-enabled display will be named HomeView, seemingly confirming a trademark filing discovered by MacRumors.
HomeView is equipped with an A18 chip, which has 8GB of RAM in iPhones.
HomeView will support Siri AI for voice control.
HomeView will be available in a tabletop version with a speaker base made of metal, as well as a wall-mounted version with a flat, square wall plate.
The tabletop HomeView will offer "better sound quality" than the HomePod mini.
The tabletop HomeView will be available in four finishes: Gray, Silver, Starlight, and Rose. The wall-mounted version will be limited to Gray and Silver.
HomeView will be unveiled this Tuesday, October 13, but the device is apparently not launching until "around mid-November."
HomeView will have a selection of Apple apps, but no App Store for third-party apps.
HomeView will be accompanied by an "Apple Home Collection" of accessories that brands such as LG and Schneider Electric developed in partnership with Apple. This will include a smart doorbell, deadbolt lock, thermostat, temperature sensor, indoor and outdoor security cameras, and a floodlight camera.
LG's accessories for the HomeView will not ship "until later this year at the earliest."
The new HomePod mini will be equipped with the Apple Watch Series 10's S10 chip, up from the S5 chip in the current model.
The new HomePod mini will be available in green, pink, blue, white, and midnight.
The new Apple TV 4K will be equipped with an A19 chip, which has 8GB of RAM.
The new Apple TV 4K may have built-in microphones for Siri AI.
The new Apple TV 4K may have an updated Siri Remote with a built-in speaker that makes it easier to find.
The new HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K models will be unveiled on October 13 and launch on Friday, October 30.
Apple may be planning to announce a new partnership with home security company ADT, alongside the introduction of its all-new smart home hub, according to several clues.
First and foremost, ADT has been posting "Low Voltage Technician" job listings in various U.S. cities since around July, but those hired for the position so far have been provided with very few details about their specific responsibilities. Some of the new hires said they have primarily been shadowing other ADT technicians while they await further information. In addition, some of the employees and their managers said they signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) related to the role. This level of secrecy is typical for something involving Apple.
Second, ADT has provided these new hires with an iPhone 17 Pro for work, whereas it typically provides other technicians with Android devices.
Third, some of the new hires said ADT finally plans to share more details about the role later this month, so the company may be waiting for Apple to announce its smart home hub on Tuesday. Apple is also expected to unveil an ecosystem of third-party smart home accessories it developed in partnership with brands such as LG.
One of the new hires said ADT initially planned to provide details about the role in September, but later delayed this timeframe until October. This would be consistent with reports that Apple has postponed the announcement of its home hub multiple times, as Siri AI was not ready. The revamped version of Siri finally launched last month.
In addition to Siri AI, the home hub will reportedly offer smart home accessory management, home security monitoring, photo faces and galleries, an overview of calendar appointments, music playback, FaceTime video calling, and more. The hub will reportedly be available in a tabletop version with a speaker base and a wall-mounted version.
Some of the new hires who asked their managers about the secretive role were told that it will apparently relate to home automation and in-home installation services, so perhaps Apple will announce an option for customers to have an ADT technician professionally install the wall-mounted home hub or the related accessories from LG.
It is unclear if Apple's partnership with ADT would extend to home security monitoring.
ADT already reached a home security partnership with Google in 2023, but it reportedly dropped some features that it offered on Google Nest devices earlier this year. A person familiar with the matter told us that ADT's exclusivity agreement with Google recently expired and is not set to be renewed, with Google now turning to AT&T. If so, then it would pave the way for ADT to reach a partnership with another tech giant: Apple.
Apple is expected to unveil its smart home hub on Tuesday, October 13, so it might announce details about a partnership with ADT then, if there is going to be one. However, keep in mind that a potential partnership between Apple and ADT is still just a rumor for now, and all of these clues could prove to be one big coincidence.
Apple reportedly plans to unveil an all-new smart home hub as part of the "Welcome home" product launch it announced for Tuesday, October 13.
Our image above is just a rough concept based on rumored design details, so be prepared for the device's actual appearance to be different.
The device will likely be unveiled in a press release shared on the Apple Newsroom website at around 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, as that is when Apple's private "Welcome home" experience in New York begins. At the experience, invited reporters and content creators will likely receive hands-on time with the home hub.
The hub is said to be designed for managing smart home accessories in the Apple Home app, home security monitoring, digital photo galleries, calendar appointments, music playback, FaceTime video calls, and more. As a user approaches the hub, or moves away from it, the size of the interface elements will reportedly adjust.
The device will be ideal for the kitchen, bedroom, and living room, and it will reportedly have multi-user support for families.
The hub reportedly has a 6-inch square display, and an A18 chip or newer for Apple Intelligence, with Siri AI expected to be a tentpole feature. A new operating system — potentially named "homeOS" — will feature clock faces, widgets, and more. There will be a tabletop version of the hub with a speaker base, plus a wall-mounted version.
Some of the preinstalled Apple apps that will apparently be available on the new platform include Calendar, Camera, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Reminders, Notes, and the new Siri app with Siri AI conversation history. Do not expect third-party apps at launch, though, as the device reportedly lacks an App Store.
The device is often referred to as a "HomePad" in rumors because of expectations that it will be sort of a HomePod-iPad hybrid, but perhaps Apple will opt for a straightforward "Apple Home" name, or perhaps it will go with "HomeView" based on trademark filings that are potentially linked to the company. We will soon find out. This article, "Apple's All-New Home Hub Will Be Revealed October 13: What to Expect" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Apple reportedly plans to unveil a new HomePod mini as part of the "Welcome home" experience it announced for Tuesday, October 13. We expect the new HomePod mini to be announced in a press release shared on the Apple Newsroom website at around 9 a.m. Eastern Time on that day, and hands-on photos and videos should surface shortly afterwards.
The second-generation HomePod mini is rumored to feature a newer chip that enables Siri AI support (at least with a nearby iPhone), along with improved sound quality, Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and new color options, including pink and green. No major design changes are expected.
Coincidentally, the original HomePod mini also debuted on October 13 back in 2020, so there has been a six-year wait for a new model. The current HomePod mini is powered by the S5 chip that debuted in the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019.
In June, the HomePod mini received a price increase. In the U.S., it now costs $129, up from $99.
After a nearly four-year wait, a new Apple TV is finally expected to be announced as part of Apple's "Welcome home" launch on Tuesday, October 13.
We expect the new Apple TV to be announced in a press release shared on the Apple Newsroom website on Tuesday, and then selected reporters and content creators invited to Apple's "Welcome home" experience in New York that day will likely share hands-on photos and videos of the device. The experience begins at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.
The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is rumored to be equipped with an A19 or A19 Pro chip. This chip upgrade would result in the Apple TV having 8GB to 12GB of RAM, and this will reportedly enable Siri AI support on the device. The current Apple TV, announced in October 2022, has an A15 Bionic chip and 4GB of RAM.
The new model is also expected to be equipped with Apple's N1 chip with support for Wi-Fi 7, which would enable faster speeds and lower latency compared to the current Apple TV's Wi-Fi 6, when the device is used with a Wi-Fi 7 router. The N1 chip also supports Bluetooth 6.0, whereas the current Apple TV supports Bluetooth 5.0.
A leaked image of the new Apple TV did not reveal any external design changes compared to the current model. However, the accompanying Siri Remote is expected to be revised in some way, as a new version was referenced in Apple's software code.
In June, the Apple TV 4K received a price increase amid surging memory chip costs. In the U.S., for example, the device now starts at $199, up from $129.
Apple potentially used a shell company named Home Services LLC to secretly file for a "HomeView" trademark in the U.S. and various other countries last year, around the same time that another shell company named Home Operations Suite LLC that also might be linked to Apple filed for a "homeOS" trademark.
Apple has a history of using shell companies to secretly file trademarks related to unannounced hardware and software. For example, prior to the Apple Vision Pro launching in 2023, a shell company that was ultimately connected to Apple filed a trademark for "visionOS," which ended up being the name of the Vision Pro's operating system. However, Apple was also behind a trademark for an "xrOS" name that it ultimately abandoned in favor of visionOS, so trademark filings do not always correspond with Apple's final branding decisions.
"HomePad" is another speculative name for Apple's home hub, given that the device is expected to be somewhat of a HomePod-iPad hybrid.
Perhaps the device will have a straightforward "Apple Home" name? That name could be confusing given there is also an Apple Home app, but this is a company that has an Apple TV 4K device, an Apple TV app, and an Apple TV streaming service, so it is certainly possible. Or maybe "HomePod Pro" instead? Share your guesses in the comments section.
The final three weeks of October are going to be extremely busy for Apple, so we have recapped some key dates below if you want to mark your calendar.
Apple will be announcing new products on October 13, the iPhone Duo launches on October 23, and even more products are expected to debut on October 27.
Here are six important Apple dates coming up this month:
Tuesday, October 13: Apple is holding a "Welcome home" experience to unveil an all-new smart home hub, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV 4K.
Friday, October 16: iPhone Duo pre-orders begin at 5 a.m. Pacific Time.
Friday, October 23: iPhone Duo launches.
Tuesday, October 27: While not yet officially announced, Apple reportedly plans to unveil even more new products on this day, including redesigned MacBook Pro models with OLED touchscreens, an iPad mini with an OLED display, a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M6 chip, and an iMac with an M6 chip.
Friday, October 30: iPhone Duo launches in 28 additional countries and regions.
Apple said the iPhone Duo will ship with iOS 27.1, while iOS 27.2 is expected to be released to the public at some point in October too.
Finally, Apple plans to release a Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM in "late October," but it has yet to announce a specific release date.
Anmelden
The new HomePod mini 2 can be used as a default speaker on all Mac models with Wi-Fi 6E or later, according to Apple. You can use a single HomePod, or a pair for stereo sound.
