It’s the centerpiece for Apple’s new push into the home, and it also seems like a great smart display.
It’s the centerpiece for Apple’s new push into the home, and it also seems like a great smart display.
Apple is getting into smart displays with its new HomeView. It has a seven-inch squircle design, looking similar to a gargantuan Apple Watch mounted to a speaker base. The $299 HomeView is meant to be the centerpiece for Apple’s big push into the home, as it’s capable of controlling a host of smart home tech. Additionally, it can display recipes, show music playback controls, let you make FaceTime calls, and display a host of widgets.
The HomeView launches on Friday, November 13th, and it’ll likely be a popular holiday gift. You can preorder in in multiple colors, and you have the option at checkout to either include a speaker base (it includes a custom down-firing woofer and two passive radiators), or opt for a wall-mounted option that omits the base and its extra sound performance. They’re the same price.
The HomeView, like the Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini 2 that were announced today, goes big on Siri AI. When connected to an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, it supports natural-language voice interactions. Obviously, as a smart display with Thread and Matter connectivity it can control your smart home devices, but its AI capabilities let it surface info from your messages, emails, and more as well.