Apple introduced the HomeView smart display on Tuesday as part of its "Welcome Home" event, signaling a significant expansion of its smart home product line. The HomeView, which starts at $299, is available for preorder now and will begin shipping on November 13. It comes in two configurations: a tabletop version with a domed speaker base and a wall-mounted display-only version. The tabletop model is offered in silver, starlight, pink rose, and space gray, while the wall-mounted option is available in space gray and silver.
The HomeView features a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and is powered by Apple's A18 chip, which enables the device's enhanced Siri AI capabilities. This new iteration of Siri is described as more conversational and capable, leveraging broad world knowledge and on-screen awareness. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI can draw on personal context from the user's device, such as calendar entries and messages, to provide more tailored responses.
A key feature of the HomeView is its ability to recognize up to six different users by their faces, providing each individual with a personalized home screen and access to their specific content in apps like Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, and Reminders. This personalization aims to make the device feel unique to each household member while being shared. Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, stated that the HomeView is designed to be both a shared household screen and a completely personal experience for each user.
Beyond personalization, the HomeView functions as a central smart home hub. Users can control various smart home devices, including lights, thermostats, and locks, through touch or Siri AI voice commands. The device's Home Camera face can livestream up to nine camera feeds simultaneously, enhancing home monitoring capabilities. It supports Apple Home and Matter accessories, as well as the newly announced Apple Home Collection.
The Apple Home Collection, developed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, includes a range of new smart home accessories such as indoor and outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, a smart deadbolt, thermostats, and temperature and humidity sensors. These products are designed to connect directly to Apple Home without requiring separate manufacturer applications. This initiative represents a concerted effort by Apple to deepen its presence in the smart home market, an area where it has previously had limited success compared to competitors like Amazon and Google.
The HomeView also serves as an entertainment hub, supporting Apple Music with animated album art and lyrics, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, and Apple TV. It can pair with other HomeViews, HomePods, and AirPlay speakers for multiroom audio. The device includes a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera with Center Stage for video calls. While the HomeView does not have a dedicated App Store, it can display widgets from a user's iPhone, making millions of apps instantly compatible.
Apple also announced other smart home products during the event, including a new generation of Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini. The Apple TV 4K, priced at $299, will also be available on November 13 and features the A19 chip, offering faster CPU and GPU performance. It includes Siri AI for content discovery and can function as a home hub. The HomePod mini 2 is priced at $149, with Siri AI capabilities expected to arrive later.