Bloomberg reported that the HomeView device will start shipping in November.
Just ahead of Apple’s smart home event on Tuesday, we may finally have a name for the long-awaited smart home hub. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the device that will serve as a Siri command center for a user’s Apple-powered smart home will be called the “HomeView” and will make its big debut during 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 that’s also expected to get a refresh. However, Gurman explained that the “View” portion of the name is meant to convey that the device will be a display that is primarily controlled through Siri and voice commands, instead of something like “HomePad,” which would imply a tablet experience.
According to Gurman, the HomeView will come 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 come in space gray and silver. Unlike Apple’s other hardware, the HomeView will only support a limited selection of Apple apps and won’t have access to the App Store, Gurman reported. Instead, Apple reportedly wants users to lean on third-party accessories that can connect to the HomeView device through Siri, Apple’s Home app or its devices.
To achieve that, Apple has been working with LG to develop several smart home devices, including doorbells, thermostats, outdoor security cameras and more. Gurman also reported that Apple is working with Schneider Electric SE for smart home devices across the European market, but that all of these third-party products will be available under the “Apple Home Collection.”
To go along with the reported HomeView hub, Apple is expected to reveal 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 start shipping and be available in Apple stores on October 30, the HomeView will release a few weeks later in mid-November, according to Gurman. The third-party products from LG should release after that, with Gurman predicting they will ship later this year at the earliest.
