Apple is preparing to launch a host of new products – and a push into a wholly new part of our lives.
The company has long been rumoured to be working on a variety of products for the smart home. Now, they look set to actually launch, with rumours pointing to an announcement on 13 October.
They will include a range of ways to see information and act with Siri around the home, numerous reports have suggested. It is also working on new smart home products with other companies, according to recent reports.
Many of the products have long been ready to launch, rumours have suggested. But they have been waiting on a revamp of Siri – the virtual assistant on which they depend heavily – which finally arrived last month.
Apple has tried to break into the smart home before, with its HomePod speakers and a variety of software and tools intended to let Siri control other products. But the new launches will mark a major revamp of those existing products, and the first time it will be making specific smart home devices of its own.
It is still unclear how exactly Apple will introduce the new smart home products. For recent launches, the company has used a variety of different approaches – from big live events to the online release of videos and press statements – and it has not always been possible to predict which it will choose.
Here is everything we expect Apple to announce.
Smart home display
The flagship product of the launch is expected to be a kind of home hub. It appears to be understood as something like one of Apple’s HomePod smart speakers with a display, or an iPad that is intended to be on all the time and left around the house.
It wil include sensors that let it see when someone approaches, and then use cameras to recognises the faces of authorised people and show them their personal content. That might come with additional security features, including the ability to link the screen to an iPhone that will be used for extra verification.
The display itself will show a home screen that will feature a range of apps and could also borrow widgets from the iPhone, reports suggest. Users will be able to use it to see information as well as controlling the device through Siri.
Rumours suggest there might be multiple versions of the display. The first – and perhaps only, initially – one of them will be on a stand, but others could follow that are intended to be mounted on a wall, or come on a robotic arm that allow the display to move around in space, reports have suggested.
New HomePods
Alongside that screen, Apple is also rumoured to be launching a new version of the HomePod Mini. It is not expected to be a huge upgrade, and the only change might be that Apple will add a new processor so that it is able to use the updated version of Siri, which is currently not available on the HomePod and Apple TV.
It appears that Apple will not update the bigger and more expensive HomePod. That has had a complicated history: it was first introduced in 2017, before being largely neglected and then discontinued in 2021, and was then updated and revived in 2023, since when it has not received an update.
New Apple TV
Apple is also said to be launching a new version of the Apple TV. Like the HomePods, it will be a relatively modest update, focused on adding a new chip that will allow it to use the reimagined version of Siri.
Collaborations
Apple might also use the event to showcase certain accessories for the smart home, according to a new report from Bloomberg. And some of those could have been worked on by Apple – even if it doesn’t say it.
The Bloomberg report suggested that it is working with LG on a variety of home cameras – with some including floodlights, wired or battery options, and indoor and outdoor versions – as well as smart locks and thermostats. Some rumours have suggested that Apple has been working on a smart home camera of its own, but it appears that at least initially they will be introduced with LG branding but have been designed in collaboration with Apple.
Apple has already looked to expand its support for those kind of home accessories. With the launch of its new software last month, for instance, it added new capabilities for home cameras, so that their output is easier to view and can be analysed by its AI features.
iPhone Duo
The event is expected to focus heavily on the smart home, and Apple tends to like to ensure that new products get their time to shine. But if the event really does happen on 13 October, then it will be just ten days before the release of the iPhone Duo.
It seems unlikely that Apple would miss the opportunity to at least remind the world that it has launched that folding phone, which represents the biggest redesign of the iPhone since its launch and a major bet for the company. It may simply use it as a chance to mention it again – or it might use the limelight to explain more of the features of the phone, which is still yet to make out into public at all.
And more?
The smart home products are not the only things Apple has rumoured to be coming before the end of the year. For months, reports have suggested that it is also working on updates to its MacBooks – including the first ever touchscreen version – and a new iPad and iMac.
It seems unlikely, however, that Apple would be keen to overshadow any smart home event with the launch of other new products. As such, those are expected later in the month.
