Apple set to unveil smart home hub HomeView, Gurman reports

Apple will announce a new smart home hub called the HomeView on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Multiple reports over the past couple of years have pointed to Apple working on a new smart home product, but it now seems the product has both a name and a launch date. Gurman describes the HomeView as a Siri-powered device with a display and an A18 chip, letting customers control their other smart home devices from it.

The HomeView will reportedly come in two models — one designed to sit on a countertop and another meant to be mounted on a wall. This would be Apple’s most serious bet on the smart home to date, after the company failed to gain much traction with its HomeKit software framework or its HomePod smart speaker.

Gurman also reports that, on Tuesday, Apple will unveil updated versions of two other home devices: the Apple TV set-top box and the HomePod mini. Earlier in the week, he said Apple plans to announce a partnership with LG to build a smart lock, a thermostat, and a doorbell.

Why it matters

If accurate, HomeView would be Apple’s most serious attempt yet to succeed in the smart home category, after HomeKit and the HomePod both failed to gain traction.