Apple to Launch Siri AI Smart Home Hub and Updated Home Devices on October 13

Gurman reported that Apple plans to announce three new Home products very soon, with Tuesday, October 13, expected as the launch date for each. The three products are a smart home hub, a new HomePod mini and a refreshed Apple TV, according to ifanr, which cited unnamed people with knowledge of the plans.

The hub, codenamed J490, is described as a roughly 6-inch square touchscreen device that can sit on a desk or be mounted on a wall. The desktop version is said to use a circular metal base with an arm, a design that ifanr compared to the iMac G4. It is said to be about as thick as an iPhone and to have bezels close to those of older iPads.

The device is reported to run a system redesigned for home use, blending elements of iOS, watchOS and tvOS. It would control HomeKit and Matter devices and handle music, FaceTime, calendars and other shared household functions. It is also said to include a camera that adjusts the interface based on the user's distance from the screen and recognizes different family members to show personalized content. Ifanr described it as the center of the Apple home ecosystem, connecting HomePod, Apple TV, HomeKit and future cameras and sensors.

The hub would compete with products such as Amazon Echo Show and Xiaomi smart home displays, ifanr said. It reported that Apple's approach is designed around who is using the device, with the screen shifting from large information cards to more detailed controls as someone approaches, and switching calendars, reminders, photos and other content for different household members. Ifanr characterized it as less like a personal device and more like a computer for the whole family.

The report ties the launch to Siri AI. Ifanr said Apple's new CEO John Ternus is pushing changes including streamlining middle management, increasing product launch frequency and allowing teams to pursue more experimental products. Siri AI began rolling out as an English beta earlier this month, and ifanr said Ternus judged it to be usable enough for the new smart home products. Apple's smart home line has been slow to update: HomePod mini has not been refreshed since 2020, the current third-generation Apple TV was released in 2022, and the hub was originally expected in March 2025 but has been delayed by about a year and a half.

The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are not expected to change much on the outside, according to ifanr. Their upgrades are said to be internal, including stronger processors, better wireless connectivity and computing capacity for the new Siri AI. The report describes Apple's long-term plan as making smart home devices nodes of a home AI system distributed across rooms. Additional products under discussion include security cameras, home sensors and a 9-inch hub with a rotating robotic arm, ifanr said.

The full-size HomePod is the notable omission from the October launch. Gurman reported that Apple aims to eventually update its larger HomePod speaker as well. That speaker has not been updated since 2023. Earlier this year, Gurman reported that a new full-size HomePod was in the works alongside the updated HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K, and said their arrival was "just a matter of time," adding that Apple wanted Apple Intelligence and new Siri features working in those products before rolling out new versions. With Siri AI support ready for the HomePod mini, the full-size HomePod will soon be the only Home product limited to the old Siri, according to 9to5Mac.

Ifanr also cited Apple executive Greg Joswiak's earlier comment that Apple does not rush half-finished products to market, made in reference to the iPhone Duo and folding-screen market. Ifanr argued the same logic explains Apple's hesitation in smart home, because a screen-equipped HomePod without AI would struggle to answer why a user should not simply place an old iPad in the living room.