We are quickly coming up on Apple’s “Welcome Home” launch event, where we expect a host of smart home-related announcements. We are expecting refreshes to Apple TV and HomePod Mini, as well as a brand new smart home hub. We could also see the debut of a new platform called homeOS, and some partner devices from LG.
What we probably won’t be seeing is the long-rumored touchscreen MacBook, which Cupertino whisperer Mark Gurman says will debut later this month.
“Welcome Home” will officially kick off in New York on October 13th at 9AM ET. Here’s more about what to expect.
Until now, Apple has primarily relied on the Home app to control all the various bits and bobs that make up your smart home. But it’s a market niche that the company has been eager to tackle more fully. The new device, which could be called HomePad or HomeView or, more simply, Apple Home Hub, will reportedly feature a 6-inch square touchscreen that can either be mounted on a wall or placed on a table or countertop. According to Mark Gurman, the countertop model will somewhat resemble the iMac G4, with the screen attached to an arm set into a half sphere.
It will also supposedly use voice or facial recognition to identify who is interacting with it, pulling up the relevant contacts, calendar appointments, and more. Apple will offer the option for secondary identification through an iPhone to keep personal data more secure. The whole thing will reportedly run a new software platform called…
The company may have registered a trademark for the name through a shell company called Home Operations Suite LLC, a move that Apple has pulled before to quietly secure the rights to names. The platform will supposedly feature a streamlined interface that “looks like a mashup of iOS, tvOS and watchOS,” according to Gurman. The focus, obviously, will be on smart home applications, like controlling thermostats and smart locks, and it will also be capable of making FaceTime calls.
The OS will also include your usual assortment of Apple apps and widgets, including Apple Music, Podcasts, and News, as well as Reminders, Notes, and Siri AI.
HomePod Mini and Apple TV get a minor refresh
Word is that not much is changing with the HomePod Mini or Apple TV. The designs will remain the same, but they’ll get a new processor to help handle the added demand of Siri AI. This will be the first update to the HomePod Mini since it was announced on October 13th of 2020 — exactly six years before Apple’s Welcome Home event. While the company isn’t making any dramatic changes for the Mini’s birthday, it will be offering it in new colors, including green and pink.
This will be the first hardware refresh for the Apple TV since 2022. In addition to supporting Siri AI, the new processor will also speed up navigation, which can get a bit laggy. Both are expected to feature Apple’s N1 chip, which includes support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 6.0.
LG and other partner devices
It’s likely that we’ll get a mention of products that integrate with HomeKit and offer new features built on top of homeOS and whatever Apple’s hardware hub ends up being called. But don’t expect Apple to share too much of the spotlight with its partners. We’ve already seen a leak of LG smart home, including deadbolts, thermostats, and more. They’ll also reportedly include an NFC-based “Proximity Control” that pops up a hint in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island when held near the device, as well as a “tap to set up without power” pairing feature.