Apple is dedicating a full launch event to the home. The “Welcome Home” presentation begins at 9 a.m. ET on Oct. 13 in New York, and nearly every product tipped to appear is smart home hardware: an all-new hub, a HomePod Mini with a faster chip, a speedier Apple TV, and possibly a new operating system to tie them together.
Don’t expect the touchscreen MacBook to show up. According to Apple rumor reporter Mark Gurman, that laptop is due to launch later this month, so it likely won’t appear on Tuesday.
The hub is the main attraction
So far, the Home app has handled all of the control for the thermostats, locks and bulbs spread through your home. It gets the job done, but it sits on your phone. Apple has signaled that it wants a larger share of this market, and it is counting on a dedicated device to win it.
The product’s name is still unknown. HomePad, HomeView and the more straightforward Apple Home Hub have all been floated. Reports say the device centers on a 6-inch square touchscreen that can be mounted on a wall or placed on a table or countertop.
Keep an eye on the countertop model. Gurman said it will loosely recall the iMac G4, with its screen connected to an arm that rises out of a half sphere. If that holds true, it’s an intentional nod to the past, and it would look completely different from the slab-style displays sold by Amazon and Google.
It’s designed to recognize whoever is using it
Reports indicate the hub will rely on voice or facial recognition to identify its user, then surface that person’s contacts, calendar appointments and more. This is the area where shared household devices tend to stumble: either your partner’s dentist appointment appears on your screen, or no one’s appointments appear at all.
Apple will reportedly offer an optional second verification step via your iPhone to better protect personal data. That’s a reasonable backup. Even so, a face-identifying camera in your kitchen will demand a persuasive privacy pitch from the stage, and Apple will need to deliver one.
Say hello to homeOS, most likely
The hub is expected to run a new software platform called homeOS. Apple may have filed a trademark for the name via a shell company called Home Operations Suite LLC, a tactic the company has used in the past to secure names without drawing attention.
Gurman said the interface “looks like a mashup of iOS, tvOS and watchOS.” Controls for smart home devices such as thermostats and smart locks will take priority, and the hub will also support FaceTime calls.
On top of that, the familiar lineup of Apple apps and widgets is expected: Apple Music, Podcasts, News, Reminders, Notes and Siri AI. That roster makes it seem less like a hub and more like a compact iPad that never leaves its spot. Whether that appeals to you comes down to how much you want yet another screen at home.
A new chip for the six-year-old HomePod Mini
Neither the HomePod Mini nor the Apple TV is reportedly getting a redesign. Each retains its existing look and gains a new processor to cope with the added demands of Siri AI.
The timing is curious. Apple announced the HomePod Mini on Oct. 13, 2020, precisely six years before this event. That’s a long stretch without an update, and the anniversary gift is a modest one: new colors, among them green and pink.
Apple TV finally gets a long-overdue speed boost
Apple TV’s most recent hardware refresh arrived in 2022. Besides enabling Siri AI, the new processor should make navigating the interface quicker, an important fix since it can feel somewhat sluggish today.
The Apple TV and HomePod Mini are both expected to adopt Apple’s N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 6.0.
LG could get a brief moment on stage
Look for some reference to HomeKit products that build extra features on homeOS and the new hub, whatever name Apple settles on. Just don’t count on partners getting much attention, since Apple seldom shares the stage.
The company to watch is LG. A leak has already revealed LG smart home products, deadbolts and thermostats among them. They will reportedly feature an NFC-based “Proximity Control” that displays a hint in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island when the phone is held close to the device, plus a “tap to set up without power” pairing option.
That pairing option may turn out to be the most significant news on Tuesday. Setting up a smart lock remains the point where most people give up. If simply tapping your phone against an unpowered deadbolt completes the setup, that would do more for your home than one more screen on the counter.