THE CRUNCH
Apple has announced the HomeView, its long-rumoured smart home hub, during its "Welcome Home" event. The device is a 7-inch square display that shows smart home controls, answers questions through Siri AI, handles video calls and displays footage from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. It also acts as a Matter controller and a Thread Border Router, the pieces that let it talk to and coordinate compatible smart home gadgets.
It costs $299 and comes in two versions: one that mounts to a wall and another that sits on a small speaker base. Four colours are on offer, including silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray. Pre-orders open today, with shipping set to start on November 13th.
The hub has been rumoured for years. Apple originally planned to launch a smart home display in 2024 alongside an AI-powered upgrade to Siri, but changed course after that Siri revamp slipped, as Bloomberg reported. The Siri AI overhaul eventually arrived alongside Apple's OS updates last month.