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Apple is hosting an event on October 13th that seems like it will be all about its efforts for the smart home. The event’s tagline is certainly a big hint — “Welcome home” — but the company is also heavily rumored to be launching a series of new smart home products soon.
One of the rumored new products is a smart home hub with a display that will also feature the newly released Siri AI assistant, according to Bloomberg. MacRumors has obtained what appear to be official images of a new HomePod Mini with refreshed colors and a new Apple TV 4K with a similar design to the current version. Bloomberg has also reported that Apple is collaborating with LG on devices like a video doorbell and a thermostat, and recent leaked renders appeared to show off some of those new devices.
The event takes place in New York at 9AM ET, and you can follow along with all of our coverage right here.
Everything Apple launched at its ‘Welcome Home’ event
Image: Apple
Apple unveiled a slate of new smart home gadgets at its aptly named “Welcome Home” event today, including its first (and highly anticipated) smart home hub. That flagship announcement came alongside much-needed refreshes for Apple’s HomePod Mini and TV 4K devices, and a selection of new smart home and security accessories designed together with trusted third-party manufacturers.
Catch up on all of Apple’s new hardware announcements in our roundup below, or click through for more detailed coverage on each.
How Apple can win the smart home
This week, Apple is hosting its first-ever dedicated smart home event. While the company hasn’t shared details about what it will reveal at the “Welcome Home experience” in New York City on Tuesday, October 13th, it doesn’t take an army of internet sleuths to deduce we’ll get news about Apple Home — specifically, new hardware. Apple finally seems to be taking the smart home seriously.
According to Bloomberg, Apple will release a smart home display alongside a refreshed HomePod Mini and Apple TV. The display, which MacRumors reports may be called HomeView, is arguably Apple’s first dedicated Apple Home hardware since it launched the HomeKit platform in 2014. As exciting as this is (and I’ll be there in person to check it out), the real shift will be bringing Siri AI and Apple Intelligence into the home. Apple is years behind Google and Amazon in smart-home hardware, but success in the home depends far more on software. That’s where Apple could leapfrog the competition.
What to expect from Apple’s ‘Welcome Home’ event
Image: Apple
We are quickly coming up on Apple’s “Welcome Home” launch event, where we expect a host of smart home-related announcements. We are expecting refreshes to Apple TV and HomePod Mini, as well as a brand new smart home hub. We could also see the debut of a new platform called homeOS, and some partner devices from LG.
What we probably won’t be seeing is the long-rumored touchscreen MacBook, which Cupertino whisperer Mark Gurman says will debut later this month.
Apple may have filed to trademark the word “HomeView.”
Apple potentially used a shell company named Home Services LLC to secretly file for a “HomeView” trademark in the U.S. and various other countries last year, around the same time that another shell company named Home Operations Suite LLC that also might be linked to Apple filed for a “homeOS” trademark.
Perhaps the phrase is for something that will be announced at the October 13th “Welcome home” event? At least we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
Apple announces surprise ‘Welcome home’ launch event
Image: Apple
Apple has just announced a new October event, taking place in New York on October 13th at 9AM ET. The company is rumored to be launching smart home-focused products this month, and the event invite hints that’ll be the case: Apple is using the tagline “Welcome home.”
At the event, Apple is rumored to announce products including a smart home hub with a display, an updated HomePod Mini, a new Apple TV. The company is also reportedly teaming up with LG on new smart home devices that will launch at the event, including a video doorbell, thermostat, and indoor camera, and renders leaked yesterday that purportedly showed off some of those devices.
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