Apple’s Smart Home Hub would be called HomeView
Bloomberg reported that the HomeView device will begin shipping in November.
Just ahead of Apple’s smart home event on Tuesday, we might finally have a name for the long-awaited smart home hub. According to BloombergMark Gurman’s Mark Gurman, the device that will serve as the Siri command center for a user’s Apple-powered smart home will be called “HomeView” and will make its grand debut at the company’s “Welcome Home” event.
The smart home hub is expected to pair with Apple’s other smart home devices, like the HomePod mini, which is also expected to get a refresh. However, Gurman explained that the “View” part of the name is meant to indicate that the device will be a screen primarily controlled via Siri and voice commands, instead of something like “HomePad,” which would imply a tablet experience.
According to Gurman, the HomeView will be available in a countertop version with a metal speaker base in space gray, silver, starlight and pink color options, as well as a wall-mounted model that will only be available in space gray and silver. Unlike other Apple hardware, the HomeView will only support a limited selection of Apple apps and will not have access to the App Store, Gurman reported. Instead, Apple would like users to rely on third-party accessories that can connect to the HomeView device through Siri, Apple’s Home app, or its devices.
To achieve this, Apple worked with LG to develop several smart home devices, including doorbells, thermostats, outdoor security cameras and more. Gurman also noted that Apple is working with Schneider Electric SE for smart home devices in the European market, but all of these third-party products will be available as part of the “Apple Home Collection.”
To accompany the reported HomeView hub, Apple is expected to unveil a revamped HomePod mini with the S10 chip and a new Apple TV set-top box with the A19 chip, Gurman said. While the new HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to begin shipping and available in Apple stores on October 30, the HomeView will be released a few weeks later, in mid-November, according to Gurman. LG’s third-party products are expected to be released after that, with Gurman predicting they will ship no earlier than this year.
