Apple Unveils HomeView Smart Display for $299

Apple has announced HomeView, a new smart home device featuring a 7-inch touchscreen and speaker, designed as a hub for entertainment, video calls, and smart home management. The device will be available in two versions: a tabletop model with an adjustable screen and a wall-mounted version, both priced at $299. HomeView can recognize up to six household members by their facial features, presenting each with a personalized home screen of apps and widgets. Personal notifications, calendars, and reminders are displayed only when the user is identified and their iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently active. Shared photo albums and music are accessible to all household members and guests.

At its core, HomeView runs Siri AI, the latest iteration of Apple's voice assistant, powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. This advanced Siri can engage in more natural conversations, answer general knowledge questions, and, when connected to an iPhone, access personal user data like calendars and messages. Conversations started on the HomeView can seamlessly continue on other Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Vision Pro headsets. "HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home, yet still feel completely personal to each user," stated Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

The device allows users to control smart home features such as lights, thermostats, locks, and blinds via touch or voice commands, and can display up to nine camera feeds simultaneously. With an iCloud+ subscription, HomeView can identify familiar people, pets, packages, and vehicles through compatible cameras. It also detects sounds from smoke or carbon monoxide detectors and sends alerts to a user's phone. Powered by the A18 chip, Apple claims that camera and microphone data are processed in a secure, isolated area of the chip, inaccessible to apps or the company itself. The screen adjusts its brightness based on ambient light, ranging from 500 nits in daylight to 0.3 nits at night, displaying simple information from a distance and more detail up close. It also functions as a speaker for music, podcasts, and FaceTime calls, and can serve as a digital photo frame.

Alongside HomeView, Apple also introduced the HomePod mini 2 for $149, available in five colors and featuring the S10 chip, and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K for $299. The new Apple TV 4K allows for the connection of up to four speakers for a home surround sound system, and its updated remote includes Find My support. A new series of smart home accessories, developed with LG and Schneider Electric, including cameras, a doorbell, a lock, and a thermostat, will begin shipping in December. Pre-orders for HomeView opened today in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, with shipments starting November 13. The HomePod mini 2 will be available on October 30. Israel is not included in the initial launch of HomeView, and Siri AI on the device currently only supports English. Apple stated it is working with the European Union to find a solution for its sale there, as Siri AI is not yet available in the region.