Today, October 13th 2026, Apple has announced a range of new Smart Home devices, and, ranges, that will be going on sale in November. Other announcements included; a new Apple TV 4K, updated HomePod mini and a very intriguing partnership with LG.
But, of course, the star of the show was this, the HomeView!
Apple HomeView
The HomePod didn’t work, due to Siri sucking, but, now we’ve Siri AI so… let’s put a screen on a HomePod and see how it goes… begs the question, who is even this for?
As a concept this is nothing new, Google, Amazon, and, others, all have Smart home hub devices that have a screen, always plugged in, always connected, and, as a concept … this is no different. The only big difference is, of course, Siri. The entirety of Apple’s announcements all house Siri AI. However, unlike an Apple Watch, or, CarPlay, they don’t rely on you having a newer iPhone capable of Siri AI to work… thankfully. Because, let’s be real, a HomeView without Siri AI would be painful. Speaking of which, hello EU. Yes, to the surprise of no one, this will not be available in any Country that doesn’t offer Siri AI.
I have to say as far as design goes, I think the HomeView is pretty awful, to be honest. I was expecting much better from Apple. It’s thick, the bezels are huge, which for a small 7-inch square screen will be noticeable, yeah… pretty ugly. But, there is a piece of Apple history in the design which you can’t help having a slight soft-spot for. Just look at that side design, that is an iMac G4 all over, easily Apple’s best-designed iMac ever made.
The problem with this device is, well, who is it for? Functionally, what can you do, ok, let’s go over it. You can check the Weather, News, Calendar, Photos, play music, FaceTime calls, tell the time, and, in time, maybe, interact with other services, and yes, use Siri AI. The problem is, you can do all of those things, with your iPhone. In fact, if you want an idea of just how, dare I say, out of touch, Apple is, with the HomeView, just watch this;
That is literally not how life works. Obviously, this does highlight one of the actually decent features of the HomeView, which of course comes down to User Profiles. No, this doesn’t have Face ID, however, using a combination of Bluetooth trickery, voice input, and the front-facing Camera, it can detect who is in front of it and service information that’s only relevant to that individual. Then, once that person is not detected, it hides. Nice.
But, I think the big takeaway Apple was, trying, to make, with the HomeView, was that this would be your Smart Home base, if you like. Apple has already allowed you to use Apple TV, and, prior HomePods, as a base for your Smart accessories before, but, obviously, having a screen allows you so much more ease of use and granular control.
Even so, I’m not convinced. Smart Home accessories, remain very expensive, in fact, even just finding one to control your heating is a lot. Smart Doorbells, most popular being Ring, are getting there, but, again, expensive. You’ve to really invest in the idea of using these devices, plus, they all rely on being two things, which makes people-who-know, nervous to commit;
- Always online: You need to be online for any of these Smart features to work, and, sure, like me I’m sure you always are. But, what if there’s a power-cut, issues with your Broadband. Then, it all comes crashing down.
- Compatibility: Whilst HomeKit is now, basically, part of the Matter standard to work with a range of devices, it’s clear as day that this is, just like HomePod, an Apple-only device. Most families don’t just have Macs, iPhones and iPads. Many prefer Android, have Windows machines, etc. What about those? Apple has yet to confirm if they’ll be, essentially, completely out with this. And, that’s the issue, if they are, this is D.O.A. Just like HomePod.
The star, depending on your experience with it, is, of course, Siri AI. If you have an iPhone 15 or younger, or live in a Country that doesn’t have it yet, you’ll probably still be in the mindset that a device powered by Siri is a bit of a joke. Trust me, I’d be right there with you. But, there’s a reason this is launching only in Countries that have Siri AI. Is it perfect? Of course not. But, is it up there with Google’s Gemini and Amazon Alexa? Now, actually, I think it is. Sure, nothing’s perfect, but it’s something that only gets better over time.
Siri was always going to be the make, or, break, for a device like this. This explains why it’s only in 2026 when Apple’s bothered to make an attempt at this. If you’re on iOS 27 right now, you’ve got Siri AI on, seriously, give it a go, it’s much better now. It needs to be, because, whereas HomePod can, kinda, get away with just been a basic “what’s the Weather”, and, “play next” device. This, can’t. This needs to be much better. Time will tell, on that one.
The HomeView will be available in three metallic finishes; Starlight, Silver and Gold. I’ll be honest, I think Google and Amazon have a much better approach at this. This thing will even look odd in an Apple Store. I cannot understand why Apple didn’t use a Wood finish, or, some form of felt material, something that just fits and blends in. These devices look, in my opinion, a bit too, obvious. This might seem like a weird thing to say, but, it’s true. This should be something you see when you need it, don’t when you don’t. But, you’re hardly gonna miss this little chonkus.
The positives; the heavily over engineered hinge makes a very welcome return and works, at least from what we’ve seen, just how you’d hope. The negatives, for me; everything else. OK, I’m not the target market, but, I’d be surprised if even the most enthusiastic Smart Home person didn’t look at this and point out many ways Apple missed the mark. But, it’s an attempt. Doesn’t do anything for me, but, hey, this is Version 1 and Apple are betting big on this, so, watch this space.
Price and availability
If you weren’t convinced before, this will seal the deal; the Apple HomeView will be available on November 13th (or later varying on Country) in two variants and 4 colours, but, one price.
£299 / $299 – Normal, or, Wall Mounted
Eeek. I mean, look, on paper, yes, it matches the roundabout figure of the completion, but, I’d to double check that was actually how much these things were. Obviously, there’s cheaper plastic competitors for less, but, you get the idea. If you want a premium looking one that’s equivalent, then sure it’s on par.
It’s something I’ll be not getting, but, it’s a thing and I’m sure once hands on have come out they’ll be a lot more to say about it. In fact, we’re not done, yet, on Apple HomeView, because Apple announced some accessories that link with it. But, there’s something weird about those accessories.
Apple HomeView Accessories
To pair with Apple’s new HomeView device, Apple also announced, some were even featured in the video, a range of Accessories to use alongside it. Something rather interesting about these accessories is … well, Apple doesn’t make any of them.
Apple have, for the most part, partnered with LG, to produce a range of Smart accessories that will pair perfectly into the Apple HomeView experience. I’m sure many other devices will be announced, and, I’d hope, already, be compatible too.
For reference; LG Floodlight Cam, LG Indoor Cam Plug-in, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-in, LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, LG Smart Thermostat, LG Temperature Sensor, LG Video Doorbell Wired, Schneider Home Smart Thermostat and Schneider Home Smart Thermostat Room Sensor were all part of today’s announcements. However, it’s worth pointing out that the majority of these are all US only! But, that’s not to say us UK folk don’t get some, we get these;
In the UK, you can get the LG Floodlight Cam for £349.95, LG Indoor Cam Plug-in for £279.95, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-in for £279.95, and, finally, the LG Video Doorbell Wired for £229.95. You can find all of Apple’s listed Home Accessories here.
Generally speaking, these are nothing too special, they’re essentially what every competitor does. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of these devices weren’t just the same thing made to work well with Apple’s devices. But, the question again lies with; would these work with Matter? would these pair and be able to be controlled with Android and Windows devices? If I had to guess, with a HomeView, probably not.
Apple TV 4K (2026)
Now, we’re getting to the more boring of Apple’s announcements today, the ones that got, sure, better, but, stuck around with the same design and feel. This is the Apple TV 4K… no, not that one, the new one… ugh. You’d think Apple would have at least added “x generation”, or, “2026”, like we did, to it to make it stand out. But, no, this is “Apple TV 4K”, you’ll just have to hope you get the newest one when you buy one. If you do.
So, the design, the remote, the tvOS you’ll get, are all the same. So, what’s actually new? Well, unfortunately the price. This is the most expensive Apple TV, to date, at £299. Yep, you can get yourself a brand new HomeView or a faster Apple TV for the same price. It’s debatable which is worth it more. That is, also, now, the only, Apple TV 4K model as Apple now has reduced it to just the one 128GB version.
OK, so, backtrack; it looks the same, feels the same and costs more ??? OK, that’s not entirely fair, but what’s new will probably feel minor. OK, so what is new about the new Apple TV 4K, well, lets have a look
Sure, it doesn’t look any different, but Apple have added a number of improvements to the Apple TV remote, including a very highly requested feature. First of all, the microphones are vastly improved, which is good if you want Siri AI to actually hear you. But, the big one, Find My! You can finally ping your lost Apple TV remote. Even I’ll admit, that’s big enough on its own to get one.
It was always under debate where the Apple TV would go for the A18 or A19, but, with Siri AI built in, it was always going to be at least the A19 due to RAM alone. This brings a huge improvement in performance over the A15 previously in the Apple TV 4K. Of course, if all you’re doing is watching YouTube, Netflix and Catchup TV, in the real world you’ll probably not notice an immediate difference, but, hey, it future proofs it. This will be much more useful if you play Games or more on the Apple TV.
I know, shock face! Yes, we hinted it, and it’s here, Siri AI is built right into the Apple TV 4K. Just like all other announced devices, this is not expected to require an iPhone 15 Pro or later to use, and will be natively in the device. I will say when it comes to an Apple TV, it’s probably one of the least useful devices to have it on, but, I suppose it beats having the older Siri, which was already, in itself, more limited on the Apple TV.
I’m sorry, but, I’m going to rant on this because I’m fed up with all these companies out there getting rid of included cables with the petty excuse of the environment. There’s absolutely no excuse not to throw in a HDMI cable with an Apple TV, the most expensive Apple TV to date, by the way. This is petty, it’s stupid and I’m forever against it.
For most it’s just waffle, but, yes, Apple TV 4K 2026 supports all the latest in display and audio standards. Comparably, HDR10 on the older model, is now HDR10+. Of course the best way to use the Atmos audio support, in Apple’s eyes is pairing 4 HomePods with their “Whole Room Audio”, because why include high impedance ports on the Apple TV 4K, that would just make too much sense.
Slightly sarcastic, but, true. The white LED light showing the Apple TV is powered on, is now in the centre of the Apple TV 4K now. It’s unclear why this was changed, but could be due to the inclusion now of microphones on the Apple TV box itself to aid Siri AI
That’s it, really. Everything else is available already in the prior Apple TV 4K. Outside of those functions, of course, Apple TV will integrate with all the Smart accessories mentioned today, and, syncs across if you chose to get the HomeView.
Apple HomePod mini 2
Now, if you’re looking at the new HomePod mini 2 and thinking, wow those look exactly the same as the previous HomePod mini with some extra colours. I would say, you’re right… for the most part. The idea is the same, the design is generally the same and size, you’ve a mini speaker you can place around the house that reacts only to Siri and a very limited top button array. It’s a HomePod. But, generally it’s just been improved wherever it could be. Apple says the speaker quality, bass area, and even the drivers themselves are different and greatly improved. Obviously, physics won’t make it groundbreaking, but, that’s good. They also pair perfectly with other HomePod, or HomePod mini, devices with what Apple calls “Whole Room Audio”, which can work with an Apple TV, or, even a Mac.
Really, the only actual new feature on the HomePod mini 2, other than the driver improvements, is, of course, Siri AI. But, as I said, briefly, when discussing the previous devices we covered, is it really that needed on a device with no display? Well, you’re going to check if that’s true if you’re an early adopter as it’s “coming in a future software update”, because who doesn’t love it when Apple promise a feature that’s not ready, eh, iPhone 16 Pro users… Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, that’s pretty bad. To make matters worse, to use Siri AI on the HomePod mini 2, you will need an iPhone 15 Pro or later as Siri AI will be powered by your iPhone, in the end.
So, that leaves, just the colours and minor sound improvements until an undisclosed software update … well worth £149.
My take on Apple’s announcements
I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by anything Apple was set to announce at a Home event, so, I’m not surprised that I’m not. But, I’ll be honest, even with that in mind, this is a clear example of a very out-of-touch company. I like the final additional of Find My in the new Apple TV Remote, yes, please, but find myself scratching my head over, quite literally, everything else.
The HomeView is what this was all about, Apple’s new product line, the one that gets me scratching my head the most to. Seriously, if you skipped it, when reading this, it’s 3-ish minutes, scroll up and watch that video from Apple and come back here, it’s the most unrealistic, almost cheesy Disney-like interpretation of how Apple thinks we live. Spoiler, if it was needed, we don’t live like that. It’s almost comical. Listen, I’m sure if I had Smart heating, doorbells, automated lights, the works right, I might be speaking differently about it. But, the issue, even with that, is… I’d trust Amazon or Google more. Not with privacy, sure, but, to have a more cleaner ecosystem. Home is one of the only instances where Apple fails at the ecosystem, mostly, as proven even today, they’ve to rely on the others to make it work. This simply doesn’t cut it, and, minus the real Apple faithful, as I hinted earlier, this is D.O.A (dead-on-arrival) just like the original HomePod was itself, and, for similar reasons.