Apple's smart home hub to be called HomeView, ship in mid-November: report
Two days before Apple's "Welcome home" date, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports details: a display on a speaker base, an A18 chip, Siri at the center – and no dedicated App Store.
Symbolic image · Photo: Seasider53 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Apple's long-expected smart home controller will be called HomeView and is not likely to reach stores until mid-November, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said in his Power On newsletter, as relayed by 9to5Mac and MacRumors on Sunday. The device is expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a date Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased with the words "Welcome home. October 13." without naming any products.
According to the report, the hub pairs a display with a metal speaker base and runs on Apple's A18 chip. That model will come in space gray, silver, starlight and pink, while a flat wall-mounted version will be offered only in silver and space gray. It is designed mainly for voice control through Siri, with touch as a secondary input, and will run a limited set of Apple apps with no dedicated App Store.
The name previously surfaced in a trademark filing by a shell company. Apple has not confirmed the product, and the report did not include a price. Refreshed Apple TV and HomePod mini models are also expected.