Apple’s smart home display, expected tomorrow at the October 13 “Welcome home” event, now has a reported name: HomeView. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says it will not go on sale right away. It would ship around mid-November, roughly a month after it is unveiled. Everything here is a report until Apple confirms it. We covered the earlier rumors under the name HomePad.
What is reported about HomeView
According to MacRumors and 9to5Mac, both citing Bloomberg:
- Name: HomeView, sitting alongside the HomePod line. MacRumors says the name first showed up in a trademark filing by a shell company.
- Chip: A18.
- Design: a display that appears to float above a speaker base, compared to the iMac G4.
- Two versions: a countertop model with a metal speaker base in space gray, silver, starlight, and pink, and a wall-mountable model with a flat, square base in space gray or silver only.
- Controls: voice is the main input, with Siri at the center, and the screen supports touch.
- Sound: Gurman says it will sound better than the new HomePod mini.
- Software: a limited set of Apple apps and no App Store. 9to5Mac says you may be able to show widgets from third-party apps via a nearby iPhone.
More than one product
Gurman says that “at least as of now,” HomeView follows the new Apple TV 4K and new HomePod mini, which are set to arrive October 30. 9to5Mac adds that Apple is working with LG and other appliance makers on accessories like thermostats, door locks, and doorbells, which we broke down in Apple and LG smart home gear.
Why Apple wants this device
Apple sells the HomePod speaker and puts Siri on the iPhone, but it has no fixed screen for the home like the smart displays from Amazon and Google. MacRumors describes HomeView as the Siri command center of an Apple-powered home, a display you look at from across the room and mostly control by voice.
For the wider picture of how devices from different brands work together, see our explainer on Matter, the smart home standard.
Price and availability
The sources we reviewed do not include a price or a list of launch countries. Wait for tomorrow’s event before you decide on any smart display purchase.
What to watch tomorrow
- Whether the HomeView name and November date hold up.
- The US price and any plans for other countries.
- How Siri behaves on the device.
- Whether Apple shows the partner-made accessories.
