Report: Apple's 'HomeView' Smart Home Hub to Ship in November With A18 Chip
Apple is expected to announce a smart home hub called HomeView at its October 13 event and ship it in mid-November with an A18 chip, according to a report citing Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The name would place the product alongside Apple's existing HomePod brand for smart speakers. Apple has not confirmed the name or any details of the device.
The hub will use a design similar to the iMac G4, with a floating display sitting on top of a speaker base, according to the report. It will be powered by an A18 chip. A second version with a square base is designed to be mounted on a wall.
The model with the speaker base will be offered in four colors: space gray, silver, starlight and pink. The wall-mountable version will come only in monochrome silver or space gray, the report said.
Voice will be the primary input method, with Siri AI as the centerpiece of the user experience and content intended to be viewed from across a room. The device will run Apple apps and will not have an App Store, though users may be able to project widgets from third-party apps running on a nearby iPhone.
Apple is also preparing hardware refreshes for its Apple TV set-top box and the HomePod mini. The company has partnered with appliance makers including LG on a range of smart home accessories meant to work together, covering smart thermostats, door locks and doorbells.
The report puts the announcement on Tuesday, October 13, while availability is expected to lag by about a month. Pricing and a precise release date have not been reported.
Apple is set to officially announce its new smart home initiative at the event.