After years of rumors about Apple’s big smart home push, we might finally see some results. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is readying new hardware for launch as soon as this fall, and that includes the company’s first-ever smart home hub.
The hub—a Siri-powered device with a screen—is expected to be accompanied by a revamped HomePod Mini as well as a new set-top box, all of which are slated for launch between October and early next year.
While rumors have been swirling about Apple’s entry into the home hub category since 2022, recent reports may hold more water thanks to the introduction of Siri AI, Apple’s recently launched Siri upgrade that’s infused with a large language model. As Bloomberg notes, the home hub is expected to rely on Siri AI, which was delayed multiple times after being unveiled in 2024. With that ship on course, new hardware may finally follow. The smart home hub is expected to have a 7-inch screen and will run software that looks similar to watchOS and iOS. Features will reportedly include FaceTime, home security monitoring, and an intercom tool for people who have more than one Apple smart home device. One of the headlining features is expected to be facial recognition, which allows the hub to recognize a person’s face and then customize the display accordingly. That could include specific calendars, notifications, and even changing the size of the text on the display. There will reportedly be two versions of Apple’s hub, one of which looks like a “HomePod Mini cut in half,” with the other designed to be fixed to the wall.
As for the new Apple TV set-top box and HomePod Mini, the features appear to be a little less exciting. Both devices will come with better processors to handle Siri AI and will cost $199 and $129, respectively.
The smart home hub is clearly the most exciting of all these potential devices, but it’ll likely only be as useful as Siri AI allows. The good news on that front is that initial reviews would suggest that Apple’s delays and time spent honing the new Siri have actually paid off, so for now you can color me cautiously optimistic.