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Apple has introduced HomeView, a $299 smart display resembling an oversized Apple Watch mounted on a HomePod Mini base. The device is designed to sit permanently in one spot in the home, staying powered on and unlocked, and supports switching between multiple household users' accounts for controlling Apple Home devices, calendars and music.
Apple's updated developer agreement confirms that third-party iOS widgets already built for CarPlay will also appear on HomeView, its newly unveiled smart display device. Developers must ensure widgets are safe for hands-free use and can exclude them via the disfavoredLocations function if unsuitable. Unlike CarPlay's audio/video app categories, widget support spans any iOS app category by default.
Apple opened pre-orders for its new HomeView smart display, and Amazon is selling it from $289.99, below Apple's own price. Amazon has not yet discounted all colors, and the wall-mounted version remains at full price. Separately, Apple's new Siri Remote (4th generation) is available for $59 as a cheaper way to upgrade an existing Apple TV setup instead of buying the new $299 Apple TV 4K.
Apple's updated CarPlay Developer Guide reveals that third-party video apps like YouTube and Netflix can appear on HomeView, but only if developers add support for CarPlay's video app entitlement. HomeView lacks an App Store, so compatibility hinges on this existing CarPlay framework rather than separate HomeView-specific development.
Amazon is selling Apple's newly announced HomeView smart display for $289.99, a $10 discount, in both gray and starlight colorways. The device, unveiled Tuesday, ships November 13th and features a seven-inch touchscreen, Matter and Thread smart home hub support, a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera, and Siri with personal context awareness.
OpenAI filed a court document alleging a former employee copied more than 100 files about its product plans to a personal account, then presented them to Apple executives, including the VP of Apple's Asia operations. The files reportedly included images of an unreleased device, supplier and engineering data, and reports on hardware coating and sealing processes. The filing is part of an ongoing legal dispute in which Apple separately accuses OpenAI of stealing its confidential documents and spying on hardware prototypes.
At its Welcome Home event in New York, Apple demonstrated HomeView, a smart home interface that manages devices entirely through the Apple Home app, without requiring separate third-party apps for setup or control. A CNET reporter watched an Apple representative pair and register a new smart home device on both a phone and the HomeView display in real time.
Apple released a launch video for its new HomeView smart display that depicts a chaotic family morning scene rather than the calm, minimalist settings typical of its product marketing. The device, which echoes the design of the old iMac G4, builds on the multi-user Personal Requests feature Apple introduced for HomePod in 2019.
Apple's new HomeView smart home hub, powered by an A18 chip, does not natively support several of Apple's own apps including Apple TV, Apple Books audiobooks, Apple Music Classical, and Apple News Plus. Instead, those services require AirPlay streaming from a nearby paired iPhone, a limitation Apple discloses only in small print on its announcement page.
Apple, Amazon and Microsoft each announced new AI-focused hardware within the past week, including Apple's wall-mountable HomeView device with an upgraded Siri assistant and a Microsoft Windows laptop built around an Nvidia AI chip starting at $2,599. The companies are pushing faster on-device AI chips and smarter assistants across laptops, tablets, phones and smart home devices ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Apple revealed the second-generation HomePod mini at its Welcome Home event, alongside new Apple TV 4K, a HomeView smart-home hub, and Apple Home smart accessories. The speaker keeps a similar design to its predecessor but adds a new lighting feature called Sound Glow and will later gain an upgraded Siri AI via software update in eight countries including the US and UK. It can function alone or link with up to three other units for multi-room audio, and works with Apple Intelligence-enabled devices to handle simple contextual tasks.
Apple has published service pricing for its newly announced $299 HomeView smart display, ahead of shipments starting November 13. Repairs without AppleCare are listed at $279 under a single 'Other damage' category, while AppleCare users face a $39 accidental damage fee, with no distinction made between the standard and wall-mounted models.