Just two days before Apple's "Welcome home" experience in New York, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has leaked several details about the new products set to be unveiled, including an all-new smart home hub, a HomePod mini 2, and a new Apple TV 4K.


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.

This article, "New Apple TV 4K, HomeView, and HomePod Mini: 16 Details Just Leaked" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "Rumor: Apple to Announce New Partnership With ADT" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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

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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.
This article, "Apple Announcing HomePod Mini 2 Next Week With These New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "A New Apple TV 4K is Finally Coming on Tuesday" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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 reportedly plans to unveil an all-new smart home hub during its "Welcome home" launch on Tuesday, October 13. Will the device be named HomeView, and will its all-new operating system be named homeOS? We shall soon find out.

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.
This article, "Apple Potentially Behind 'HomeView' Trademark Filed Alongside 'homeOS' Last Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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:

• Monday, October 12: You can get ready for your iPhone Duo pre-order.


• 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.
This article, "Mark Your Calendar: Six Important Apple Dates Coming Up This Month" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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