After years of lagging behind the competition, Apple is “nearly ready to launch” three new smart devices. An updated Apple TV and HomePod mini will debut as soon as this fall.
There’s also the long-rumored smart home hub, which could debut anytime between October and early next year.
Apple’s big smart home push begins this fall
Despite its best efforts, Apple failed to make a splash in the smart home market. Years after its launch, HomePod is still known for its sound quality, not its smart features. That’s all due to Siri’s limited capabilities.
But with Siri AI, Apple again has a chance to enter the smart home market and compete with Google and Amazon.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple will soon release a refreshed Apple TV and HomePod mini this fall, presumably in September or October. Both devices are long overdue for an update, with the upcoming refresh only being a spec bump.
The biggest new addition will be the smart home hub. Apple initially planned to launch the smart home hub in late 2025 or early 2026. However, it pushed back the release because the AI-powered Siri was not ready.
Apple’s smart home hub may sport face recognition
Apple’s home hub will reportedly feature a 7-inch square display. It will run a new operating system based on Apple TV’s tvOS. Its interface will supposedly look “like a blend of that software with watchOS and iOS — complete with a grid of icons, widgets and apps.”
The main highlight of the home hub will be face recognition. Based on the recognized face, it will display that user’s calendar, notes and other personalized content.
It will also adjust the size and type of information displayed based on the user’s distance from the screen, making everything easier to read at a glance.
Apple apparently plans to launch two versions of the home hub. The first features a display on a half-dome-shaped base—think of it as a HomePod mini cut in half. The second is designed to attach to a wall using a magnetic mount.
Apple is also working on an advanced security camera and a home hub variant with a robotic arm
