Apple will reportedly call its upcoming smart home hub the HomeView. Powered by an A18 chip, the display will focus on Siri and smart home control. It will also lack an App Store.
As previously reported, the HomeView will come in two versions: a countertop model with a metal speaker base and a wall-mounted model with a flat, square base.
HomeView puts Siri at the center of Apple’s smart home plans
The HomeView — with Siri AI at its heart — will serve as the centerpiece of Apple’s renewed attempt to crash the smart home market. More than a decade after launching its HomeKit home automation platform, Apple remains a laggard in the category.
Apple is scheduled to unveil its new smart home hub, along with a new Apple TV, HomePod mini and smart home devices produced in partnership with LG Electronics at its “Welcome Home” event on October 13.
Spoiling the surprise, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman provides more details about the smart home display in the Sunday edition of his Power On newsletter.
“As for the HomeView name, the use of ‘view’ reflects how the device is meant to be used: as a display that people look at and control primarily with their voice. Though the screen supports touch input, a name like HomePad would suggest an iPad-like experience centered on direct interaction,” said Gurman.
The device is not meant to run a wide range of apps. Instead, it will support select Apple apps, with a focus on integration with smart home devices. Users can control these devices through Siri, the Home app and other Apple devices.
More importantly, Apple will offer two versions of the HomeView: a countertop model with a metal speaker base and a wall-mounted model. The countertop model will come in four colors: space gray, silver, starlight and pink.
The other HomeView model, which previous rumors indicated will come with a magnetic back so it can be mounted on metal appliances or on a metal plate attached to a wall, will come only in space gray and silver, Gurman said.
Despite a mid-October unveiling, Apple’s HomeView will apparently hit retail stores in mid-November.
LG to offer complete smart home starter kit for HomeView
At launch, Apple will leverage its partnership with LG Electronics to offer a smart doorbell, deadbolt lock, thermostat, indoor and outdoor security cameras, a floodlight camera and a temperature sensor. Similarly, Apple worked with Schneider Electric to develop “energy-related devices for the European market,” Gurman said.
That lineup should cover most users’ core smart home needs, from keeping an eye on their property to controlling access and adjusting the temperature. Such an expansive smart home device lineup will make the HomeView more appealing to a lot of people.
Apple will market the devices as the “Apple Home Collection,” Gurman said.
Another benefit of this strategy: lower prices. If Apple manufactured and sold these smart home devices, they would likely cost a lot more than whatever LG decides to sell them at.
With a wider range of devices and potentially lower prices, Apple’s smart home plans look more promising this time around. The HomeView could appeal to more people than HomeKit ever did.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
