Apple introduced HomeView, a $299 smart display with Siri AI and Apple Home controls; preorders are open ahead of November 13 shipments.
Apple introduced HomeView on October 13, adding a touchscreen smart display to its home-product lineup. The $299 device combines a 7-inch square screen, speakers and Siri AI, and can serve as an Apple Home hub, Matter controller and Thread border router. Preorders are open, with shipments scheduled to begin November 13.
HomeView is designed for shared household use as well as personal features. It can show calendars, recipes, photos and app widgets, make FaceTime calls, play audio and display feeds from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. Touch controls and voice commands let users manage supported smart-home devices. Apple says the display can also use information from messages, calendars and email when it recognizes an authorized person.
The device supports up to six profiles. Recognition relies on facial data and the presence of the person’s recently unlocked iPhone on the home Wi-Fi network; Apple says the recognition data is processed on-device using a Secure Exclave on the A18 chip. Each profile requires an iPhone or iPad running the latest operating system. Without a recognized profile, the display still supports general questions, some device controls and other shared functions, but personal context is unavailable.
The screen sits above an aluminum speaker base, and the unit comes in four colors. Apple is also selling a wall-mounted version for $299, with plug-in, in-wall power and in-wall Power over Ethernet mounting options. The product is initially available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and India.
The Verge’s reviewer saw demonstrations but had not yet tested the device directly. The demonstrations showed Siri handling linked requests involving calendar events, reminders and grocery lists, while complex commands across different types of smart-home devices remained limited. HomeView’s practical value will depend in part on how reliably it identifies household members and how useful people find a shared screen for tasks tied to their personal information.