Apple’s First Home Hub Looks Like a Miniature IMac G4.

Apple’s “Welcome Home” event was a success . Unlike the recent iPhone unveiling, this one wasn’t livestreamed. Instead, Apple invited select media members to experience the announcements in person in New York City. The company simultaneously published all the updates in its Newsroom section . If you didn’t attend the event in person (I didn’t either), you can check out all the new products below, including a review of the company’s first smart hub, the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini, and a new line of smart home devices.

Apple HomeView is the company’s first dedicated smart hub.

Without a doubt, the most important announcement of the day was the new Apple HomeView. It’s Apple’s first dedicated smart hub, featuring a seven-inch square display attached to a dome-shaped speaker via a stainless steel hinge. While it doesn’t look like any current Apple device, it does vaguely resemble the iMac G4 . Like other Apple displays, the display features True Tone technology, and while it reaches a respectable 500 nits of brightness, it can drop to as low as 0.3 nits, which Apple says makes it ideal for nightstands. A display-only version of HomeView, which can be wall-mounted, is also available.

Apple doesn’t market HomeView as a personal device—the smart hub can recognize up to six people, so each family member can set up their own home screen with custom apps and widgets, while shared data (such as photos and music) can be accessed by anyone, even guests. Apple has also developed watch faces for HomeView, similar to the Apple Watch: you can customize your HomeView face with elements such as calendars, clocks, full-screen images, weather, and more.

Like other smart hubs, HomeView uses an AI assistant to answer questions and perform tasks. So its arrival feels perfectly timed with the launch of Apple’s new Siri AI . If you have an iPhone or iPad compatible with Apple Intelligence, you can ask Siri to perform an action in an app or get information from Messages, Calendar, and Apple Music. Any conversation with Siri on HomeView syncs with the Siri app on your other devices.

Apple also touts the HomeView speakers. The company says the device features two custom-designed full-range drivers in the display, a downward-firing woofer, and two passive radiators with vibration-cancelling bass units. You can stream audio and video from a variety of Apple services, including Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Apple TV, and some third-party apps. If you have multiple HomeView devices, HomePods, or AirPlay-compatible devices, you can stream audio to all of them. This even works with Handoff, so if you’re listening or watching something on your iPhone, you can continue playing it on your HomePod.

Perhaps the HomeView’s greatest advantage is its ability to constantly receive FaceTime messages. The top bezel features a built-in camera with Center Stage technology, making it easy to keep your face in frame as you move around the room. HomeView can read your messages and allow you to reply with your voice, and there’s also an on-screen keyboard. If you have other HomeViews or HomePods, you can use Intercom to send audio messages to everyone in your family.

As a smart control center, HomeView comes with a smart home dashboard for controlling all your smart devices. You can view video feeds (up to nine at a time), adjust lighting or the thermostat, and perform a host of other tasks. Apple insists that the A18 chip in HomeView, including the Secure Enclave, guarantees the protection of all data passing through the device. The company even notes that personal data, such as messages, is inaccessible until the user verifies their identity with Face ID.

How much will Apple HomeView cost?

Apple sells HomeView or HomeView (wall mount) for $299. The latter option comes with three wall mount options, each sold separately. Pre-orders are available today . Note: HomeView requires an iPhone or iPad with iOS 27.2 or iPadOS 27.2 or later, so don’t order if you don’t have one.

Apple TV 4K can also be used as a home control center.

This morning, Apple also announced the next-generation Apple TV 4K. At first glance, you wouldn’t notice any changes. Both the Apple TV and the remote look virtually identical to the previous model. But the biggest changes are on the inside, not the outside. Apple positions the Apple TV 4K as a personal home hub, combining an improved processor and Siri AI to deliver new intelligent experiences.

Like other smart devices, on the Apple TV 4K, you can ask Siri AI questions using natural language and get relevant results. Apple says you can ask questions like, “Which Apple TV shows won an Emmy this year?” or “What nature documentaries are available on Apple TV?” While watching content, you can ask Siri AI about what’s happening on screen, including questions like, “Where was ‘Pluribus ‘ filmed?” or “Is this movie appropriate for a 14-year-old?” Apple says the Apple TV 4K won’t interrupt your viewing experience to answer your question; answers will appear as a discreet overlay, so you can continue watching while receiving the answer. Apple even now recommends hands-free operation of the Apple TV 4K, which I assume is a response to complaints about how easy it is to lose the remote.

If you do lose your remote, you’re in luck: it now supports the Find My iPhone feature with precise location tracking. You can play a sound on the remote from your iPhone to make it easier to find, or get step-by-step directions to find out exactly where it is. (Spoiler: it’s always between the couch cushions. It’s always between the couch cushions.)

The Apple TV 4K is powered by the Apple A19 chip, which Apple claims improves CPU performance by up to 50% and delivers twice the GPU performance of the previous model. Apple also says the new Apple TV 4K features a new AV1 decoder, which should improve streaming quality while using less data. You can also connect four speakers to the new Apple TV 4K if you have Apple’s new HomePod mini 2 (more on that below). Apple’s artificial intelligence calibrates the speakers to your space by analyzing their placement.

While Apple would love for you to buy HomeView, you can also control all your smart devices with the new Apple TV 4K. You can see who’s at your front door and unlock it when needed, and you can even set up Guest Mode on your Apple TV 4K if you want your friends to adjust the lights when you’re not around.

How much does the new Apple TV 4K cost?

Apple’s latest Apple TV 4K starts at $299, or $49.83 for six months. Pre-orders are available today , and it goes on sale Friday, November 13.

HomePod mini 2 gets an improved chip and attractive new colors.

Apple officially unveiled the second-generation HomePod mini. While the new HomePod mini 2 isn’t as radical a change as HomeView or even the Apple TV 4K, it does feature some hardware improvements and is available in new colors: pink, green, blue, white, and midnight blue.

Apple claims the new HomePod mini 2 features the S10 chip, a significant improvement over the S5 chip used in the original HomePod mini. While we’ll have to wait for testing results to confirm the sound quality, Apple claims the S10 chip powers the mini’s new Computational Audio System, which automatically optimizes parameters like dynamic range, volume, and acoustics to suit your space. As mentioned above, you can now connect up to four HomePods to an Apple TV 4K, including any HomePod set and the HomePod mini 2.

While the original HomePod mini featured a glowing touchpad, the new HomePod mini 2 takes things a step further with its “Sound Glow” feature. This new feature glows and pulses in sync with your audio, reacting to bass and treble in real time. Sound Glow uses a color scheme that matches the current album cover. Of course, this announcement is all about the smart home, so Apple also talked about the ability to control your smart home with the HomePod mini 2. You can ask Siri AI on the speaker to configure your smart home devices, and you can also find manual controls in the Home app.

How much does the HomePod mini 2 cost?

The HomePod mini 2 costs $149 and is currently available for pre-order . It will be available in stores starting October 30.

The Apple Home Collection includes third-party devices designed to work together.

Finally, there’s the “Apple Home Collection.” This is a series of devices made not by Apple itself, but by partner companies that now sell their devices through Apple. The idea is that all of these devices were designed with Apple’s smart home vision in mind, meaning you can buy them knowing they’ll work with HomeView, Apple TV 4K, and HomePod mini 2. (Apple also seems to be very proud of how each device fits into the company’s overall style.) Here’s what’s included in the collection:

• LG Video Doorbell : This doorbell features two cameras (one 2.5K, one 1080p), a built-in spotlight, and an audio alert that plays on HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. ($249.95)

• LG Floodlight Cam : This camera features two floodlights that automatically turn on when motion is detected. It also supports color night vision in low-light conditions. ($399.95)

• LG Outdoor Cam : This camera supports color night vision in low-light conditions and has flexible viewing angles. ($299.95)

• LG Indoor Cam : This camera can automatically adjust its position, including moving out of frame when someone returns home. ($199.95)

• LG Smart Deadbolt Lock : This lock uses Ultra Wideband technology to automatically unlock when the user approaches. You can also unlock it by touching it with an iPhone or Apple Watch, a hardware keypad, or a hidden slot for a physical key. The lock alerts the user if a tampering attempt is detected. ($349.95)

• Smart Thermostat : Apple has partnered with LG and Schneider to sell two different thermostats. Schneider’s is square, while LG’s is round. Both use data from the iPhone to automatically adjust the temperature based on certain scenarios, such as whether someone is home, the time of day, or the user’s preferences. Optional temperature and humidity sensors are also available. ($199.95 for the thermostat, $39.95 for the sensor.)

With the iCloud+ plan, you get access to 10 days of event video history, with automatic descriptions and summaries. You can search your event history using natural language, and there are built-in data storage options to preserve data in the event of a connection loss.

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