Apple today announced the "HomeView," an all-new kind of smart home hub featuring a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and Siri AI.



Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said:

Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user. It recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience, fills the room with incredible sound, keeps you connected to the people who matter most with FaceTime, and makes it easy to control your smart home. And it's powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI at its core, drawing on personal context from your iPhone to help you find what you need and get more done, all while keeping everyone's information private and secure.

The HomeView features an aluminum design, with the display connected to a domed speaker base by a stainless steel tilting hinge. Apple says it is ideal for a kitchen counter, nightstand, or side table. The 7-inch Liquid Retina display features True Tone and automatic brightness between 0.3 nits and 500 nits, making it ideal for low-light environments.



A custom-engineered acoustic system with two full-range drivers delivers "room-filling" Spatial Audio. A down-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators are built directly into the base. With Handoff, users can continue listening to audio from their iPhone by placing it in front of the HomeView. It also supports multiroom audio.



The HomeView features faces that display information at a glance, including a Photos face, a "Flow" face that dynamically responds to movement, a Snoopy face that reflects context like the time of day and weather, a Home Modular face that offers instant access to smart home accessories, a Home Camera face that can livestream up to nine video feeds simultaneously, and more.



The HomeView's interface adjusts based on a user's distance, showing larger, simpler information from across a room and richer detail as a user steps closer. The device recognizes up to six people and delivers a personalized experience. Each user has their own Home Screen with apps and widgets. Apple says that personal content remains private, while shared photo albums and music can be enjoyed by all users, including guests.



The device features ‌Siri‌ AI, and used with an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone or iPad, ‌Siri‌ AI can take action across apps and surface relevant information from Messages and Calendar, Apple Music playlists, and more. Users can also customize the expressiveness and pace of ‌Siri‌'s voice on their paired and compatible device. ‌Siri‌ AI conversations sync across devices.



Apple also said that "HomeView is the perfect sous chef," with the ability to convert recipes from the web into step-by-step instructions with hands-free timer controls and ingredient tracking. Moreover, the HomeView offers FaceTime and Center Stage, as well as Intercom for sending a quick message in the household.



The tabletop version is available in silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray, including matching cables. A wall-mounted version is available in silver and space gray only. It can be attached using three mount options from Schneider Home. The wall-mounted version delivers "rich sound" with two custom drivers and computational audio tuned specifically for on-wall placement.



The HomeView costs $299. Pre-orders start today, with launch on November 13. It is not available in the EU.
This article, "Apple Announces 'HomeView' Smart Home Hub" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's all-new smart home hub, the HomeView, will ship around mid-November, roughly a month after its unveiling at Apple's "Welcome home" October 13 event, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said the HomeView, "at least as of now," will follow the launch of the new Apple TV 4K and new HomePod mini models, which will arrive to customers and in stores on October 30.

The HomeView will be positioned as the Siri command center of an Apple-powered home, pairing a display with an A18 chip. It will come in two versions, including a countertop model with a metal speaker base, offered in space gray, silver, starlight and pink, and a wall-mounted version with a flat, square base, limited to space gray and silver. The HomeView will offer better sound quality than the new HomePod mini, according to Gurman.

The device is controlled primarily by voice, though its screen supports touch input. It supports a limited selection of Apple applications, and there will be no dedicated App Store for it.

The HomeView name first appeared in a trademark filing by a shell company, a discovery reported on Friday by MacRumors and credited by Gurman. The "view" part of the name is said to reflect how the device is meant to be used, in the sense that it's a display that people look at and control mainly with their voice.
This article, "Apple HomeView Smart Hub to Ship in Mid-November in Four Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple reportedly plans to unveil its long-rumored smart home hub on Tuesday, October 13, and a proven leaker known as "pdfu" has revealed that the device may be available in up to four finishes: Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, and Rose Pink.


MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris uncovered the same four colors within the code for the macOS 26.7 Release Candidate back in August.

On the home hub, users will be able to create a Photo Face, and the leaker said Apple's preview art for this will correspond with the color of the device.


Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the home hub will come in "Apple's standard gray aluminum finish." He did not mention any other color options for the device, so we shall see if the other three colors materialize.

According to Gurman, the home hub will have a roughly 6-inch square display and will be available in tabletop and wall-mounted versions. He said the tabletop model's screen has a polished metal arm that connects to a metal, round base with perforated speaker holes, similar to the iMac G4 that Apple released back in 2002.
This article, "Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Stores around the world are preparing to install new product presentations starting on Thursday, October 8.


Apple retail stores received confidential boxes earlier this week featuring "Do Not Open Until October 8" stickers on them. They are believed to contain new visual merchandise, which enables workers to update labels, graphics, and product layouts in stores around the release of new products. MacRumors received a tip-off about the boxes earlier this week, which it has now independently verified.

There is a possibility that the materials relate to the iPhone Duo, but it seems more likely given their confidentiality and timing that they relate to the rumored launch of Apple's smart home hub, alongside a new Apple TV 4K, and the HomePod mini 2. Yesterday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple plans to introduce these three long-awaited new devices on Tuesday, October 13.

If Apple announces the new devices sometime in the week of Monday, October 5, Apple Stores would need to update their displays for launch on October 13. For now, the exact timing of the announcement of the trio is unclear. Gurman's report used indeterminate wording, simply saying that Apple would "push into the smart-home market on October 13." This could be either announcement or launch.
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Apple is working on a new smart home accessory that will serve as a hub for interacting with Siri AI, controlling HomeKit devices, watching videos, checking the calendar and the weather, and generally offering up useful information to everyone in the household.


This guide aggregates everything that we know about Apple's smart home hub.

Design

Apple's smart home device will somewhat resemble an iPad, and it will have a display-focused design. It is expected to be square rather than rectangular, and it will measure in at 6 inches with quarter-inch black bezels around the edges.

In terms of size, it will look similar to two iPhones that are side-by-side, and it will be about as thick as an iPhone. Apple imagines people having multiples of the hub in different rooms of the house. The device will support touch input for opening apps and controlling connected devices.


Apple is making two versions of the home hub. One will have a 6-inch display and is meant to be mounted on the wall, and the second version has the same 6-inch display and a hemispherical speaker base that looks similar to the iMac G4. The display attaches to the base with a polished metal arm that holds the small screen and allows it to be tilted forward or backward. The base features speaker hole perforations and a rubber bottom for stability.


The wall-mounted version will have a thin square base for the speakers and the mics, and it will sit flush against the wall. Both models will have a 1080p camera on the front for FaceTime calls, authenticating users, and recognizing different people in the home. Apple is planning to release the hub in a gray aluminum finish.

The device has no internal battery and is instead meant to be used while connected to power via USB-C.

Sensors

The smart home hub will be able to determine how close a person is standing to it, adjusting features from there. When no one is nearby, for example, it might show the temperature, but as someone approaches, it could shift to an interface for adjusting the thermostat.

Person detection will likely allow it to be used in smart home automations for doing things like turning on the lights when someone enters a room. The sensor will be able to tell one person from another, and it could recognize hand gestures for longer-range control.

Facial recognition

The home hub will use a Face ID-like feature along with voice for authentication and to identify who is in a room. With the recognition features, the home hub will be able to switch to the profile for the person in the home who is interacting with the device. Each user will have a customizable profile and interface with options to change profiles through the Control Center.

The camera won't be as accurate as Face ID, so voice is an alternative. Apple's HomePod also uses voice recognition for some personalized features. Users will be able to set up secondary authentication with an iPhone for more security, and a visitor mode will hide personal information.

Rumors suggest there is a Mac-style edge light around the screen to offer lighting so the device can identify people in the dark.

Chip

Apple's smart home accessory is expected to use an A18 chip or better for Apple Intelligence support. Given that ‌Apple Intelligence‌ requires 8GB RAM minimum, it will have at least 8GB RAM.

Operating System

Apple's home hub will run an operating system that Apple refers to as "Charismatic" internally, though it could be called homeOS when it launches. It's going to use elements from tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, and it will sync with the iPhone for setup purposes.

Interface

Apple does not plan to create a dedicated App Store for the home hub, but it will come with several apps pre-installed. The main view will be a customizable home screen with widgets that can show the weather, important home controls, photo slideshows, upcoming events, and more. A built-in camera will scan the face of each user, bringing up different apps and a Home Screen for each person.

The interface is something like a cross between watchOS and the iPhone's StandBy mode, with a heavy focus on clock faces and photo slideshows when the device is idle. The ‌Home Screen‌ will feature Apple Watch-like icons, but the apps will have an iPad-like design with a two-panel layout. There will be familiar customization options like pressing and holding to rearrange icons and swiping up to get to the app launcher.

There will be a Widget Gallery that suggests widgets from a linked iPhone. Widgets shown on the device from an iPhone that's connected will only display widget content when the primary user is in the home. A Smart Stack will be available to intelligently rotate through different widget options throughout the day, and the clock will be customizable with a Face Gallery.

The hub will adopt the visual aesthetic of ‌Siri‌ AI, with darker design elements. A software-based dock will be available for launching apps, and the hub will be built around ‌Siri‌ AI.

Apps

Several Apple apps will be installed even though there won't be a dedicated ‌App Store‌. Apps that are rumored:

• Safari


• Apple News


• Apple Music


• Apple Podcasts


• Notes


• Calendar


• Photos


• Home


• Messages


• Reminders


• ‌FaceTime‌

The hub will support integration into ‌HomeKit‌ scenes alongside other smart home products, and it will play videos, so it can be used for things like following along with a recipe when in the kitchen.

Intercom

More than one of the devices can be used throughout the home, and two or more can serve as room-to-room intercoms.

AirPlay

With its built-in speakers, the device will support music playback and it will be able to work as an AirPlay receiver.

homeOS Trademark

Apple appears to be using a shell company to trademark "homeOS" in several countries around the world, with the trademarking kicking off in October 2024. Apple has secured the homeOS trademark in Liechtenstein, and trademarks are pending in the U.S., Argentina, Peru, and more.

Future Smart Home Accessories

Apple is creating an indoor security camera that will connect to the home hub, and it's rumored for 2027. Privacy would be a focus, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Ring and Nest.

Pricing

Apple's home hub could be priced somewhere around $350, which would make it more expensive than competing products like the Amazon Echo Show.

Launch Date

Apple's smart home hub is rumored to be debuting on October 13 alongside a new Apple TV 4K and a new HomePod mini.

This article, "Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's rumored smart home hub will have different faces users can choose from, some of which are similar to StandBy screens planned for the iPhone Duo. Leaker pdfu shared setup screens of the Photo Face said to be for Apple's upcoming home product.


Based on the images, users can select from different photo collections, memories, or shared albums for the Photo Face, and those photos will be shown on the device's display. Photos are pulled from iCloud, so iCloud Photos needs to be turned on for it to work. Users will be prompted to set up the Photo Face when activating the device.

Pdfu says the Photo Face for the hub is the same as the Photo Face coming to the ‌iPhone Duo‌, and that could explain why Apple hasn't made the ‌iPhone Duo‌'s StandBy mode available in the Xcode simulator yet.

This is the first visual of a home hub face we've seen. The hub is expected to have a 6-inch screen, and it will look similar to an iPad except for the square shape and the base. The hub is rumored to have an iMac G4-like half-dome metal base that connects to the display with an arm.

Prior rumors have said the home hub won't have a full App Store, but it will support apps and widgets like Calendar, Weather, Music, Messages, Reminders, and more. The device will be able to tell when someone is approaching it, and can distinguish between people in the home to show different widgets for each user. It makes sense for the hub to display a StandBy-like interface when it is not in active use.

There will be multiple idle display options to choose from, just like there are now when using the iPhone in StandBy mode. Earlier today, Bloomberg said the home hub interface is "built heavily" around clock displays and photo slideshows, so the Photo Face will likely be an integral part of the device's software.

The home hub is rumored to be debuting on October 13.
This article, "Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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