Watch Desk posted an update
Apple has unveiled a $299 HomeView smart-home hub, alongside a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2, Bloomberg reports. The announcement turns Apple’s previously reported home-hub plans into products, with a price attached to the main event.
Why it mattersThe hub joins a familiar Apple TV and HomePod refresh, giving the company a broader smart-home line-up rather than a lone new screen. Bloomberg’s report identifies the new devices, but the supplied account does not give further specifications. The price is the useful starting point for judging where HomeView sits in Apple’s home set-up.
Discuss: Does a $299 hub make sense as the centre of a smart home, or should Apple have made the entry point cheaper?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedApple says HomeView has a 7-inch display that can sit on a table or be mounted on a wall, and can recognise who is using it to show relevant information. That gives the $299 smart-home hub a more specific role than simply putting a screen beside the speakers and switches.
The company says the device supports up to six users and can draw on Messages, Photos, Calendar and Reminders to personalise what appears. Apple also says its Siri AI can answer a broad range of questions, with conversations able to continue on an iPhone or iPad.
These are features described by Apple in remarks reported by CNBC, not an independent assessment of how well the recognition or personalisation works. But the practical pitch is now clearer: HomeView is meant to be a shared household screen that changes according to who is standing in front of it.
Sources and evidence
- Apple releases HomeView smart home hub with screen as showcase for Siri AI: Apple says HomeView has a 7-inch display, can be mounted or placed on a table, and uses face recognition to personalise information for up to six users; CNBC reports that it also supports Siri AI and draws on Apple apps.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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