Apple's HomeView Launch Video Highlights Family Use Case, 9to5Mac Says

The report described HomeView as cute and said it borrows enough of the iMac G4's quirky design heritage while still looking like a modern device. The launch video, by contrast, felt utterly chaotic to 9to5Mac's writer, a self-described minimalist who values a calm and organized home. While typical Apple product videos resemble a version of the writer's home with ten times the income, the HomeView video felt both frenetic and jarring. The report said that this likely reflects a typical weekday morning in homes with teenage kids, based on time spent in friends' homes.

For single people or couples, 9to5Mac said it is hard to see much benefit in HomeView. The report argued the device does not do anything that cannot already be done on personal devices or on HomePods with the existing multi-user Personal Requests feature, which has been available since 2019. It also rejected the digital photo frame justification, saying the display is too small for that purpose.

For families with children, however, the report sees more appeal. When a family is trying to gather around the breakfast table, a single device in one place could meet everyone's digital needs at once. That is a more wholesome picture than each family member silently staring at his or her own iPhone, the report said. Whether that goal is realistic is a question for parents, according to 9to5Mac, but the report called it a valiant attempt.

The 9to5Mac article asked parents with teenage children whether the launch video accurately depicted a typical morning and whether they thought HomeView could bring everyone together in the way Apple hopes.