Apple is set to hold a ‘Welcome Home’ event which appears to be behind closed doors for the media. As of now, there’s no ‘Welcome Home’ info on the Apple Events webpage and no livestream has been scheduled on YouTube or the Apple TV app. So the event doesn’t appear to be like Apple’s usual public keynotes – such as its September 9 event this year where it revealed the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.
The event will be held in New York this Tuesday, October 13, centred around Apple Home smart devices. While we previously had heard the Oct. 13 date, the event adds a new dimension to proceedings and gives some indication how seriously Apple is taking the launch of these new products.
So as things are currently, expect some info to appear at Apple.com soon after these timings – and of course we’ll bring you all the latest from the event on Stuff.
‘Welcome Home’ Apple Event timings
- Los Angeles: 6am PDT
- Chicago: 8am CDT
- New York/Toronto: 9am EDT
- São Paulo: 10am BRT
- London: 2pm BST
- Paris/Berlin: 3pm CEST
- Johannesburg: 3pm SAST
- Dubai: 5pm GST
- New Delhi: 6:30pm IST
- Singapore: 9pm SGT
- Beijing: 9pm CST
- Tokyo: 10pm JST
- Seoul: 10pm KST
- Sydney: Wednesday 14 October, midnight AEDT
What is being launched?
An impending Apple launch will be no surprise to you if you’ve been reading Stuff’s coverage over recent weeks, since we have expected a new version of the Apple TV 4K to launch before the end of the year – which could be called Apple TV Ultra. This new device will be based around the A17 Pro, which is the lowest-end chip to support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. There should also be a new networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 and other upgrades, plus Ultra Wideband (UWB) support which would enable you to locate a new Siri remote and even your iPhone.
We’ve also speculated that it could be joined by an upgraded HomePod Mini with Siri AI. So far, so iterative.
But the more exciting product should be a HomePod with a display, which we previously thought might be called HomePad but will actually be called HomeView. This will essentially be a smart home controller, with a big speaker which will apparently run on Apple’s A18 chip and use a modified version of iOS/tvOS called – yes, you’ve guessed it – homeOS.
There are some suggestions that Apple may offer two versions of the Apple A18-powered HomeView – one with a metal base designed for a countertop (grey, silver, starlight and pink are the suggested colors) and one that is wall-mountable.
Rumors have also suggested that the HomeView will have better audio performance than the Apple HomePod mini, but as it is surely larger, this isn’t a surprise. It may have Face ID, too.
Previous rumors suggested that the display could snap to a wall-mounted base using a MagSafe-style technology. It’s also suggested that Siri will be the primary mode of interaction with the device rather than the touchscreen.
It will be very interesting to see Apple’s take on this product and compare it with the numerous attempts from Amazon and Google over the last 8 or 9 years. Reports this year have suggested all three devices have been ready for months and even years, awaiting the relaunch of Siri.
There is also speculation that HomeView could take design inspiration from the iconic iMac G4.
Yet more smart home devices from Apple – sort of
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has recently reported that Apple is planning a bunch of Ring-style smart home devices including “a doorbell, thermostat, a smart deadbolt lock, indoor security camera, outdoor security camera and floodlight camera” and that the company has been working with LG as the key partner.
It seems the products will be LG-branded but will – somewhat obviously – be fully compatible with Apple Home. So Apple essentially is having a hand in making the devices but isn’t having to make and market them.
Bloomberg further reports these products are labeled as the LG Video Doorbell Wired, LG Floodlight Cam, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In, LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, LG Smart Thermostat and LG Temperature Sensor.
Gurman also suggests that Apple will broaden its own home ecosystem in the future “including a privacy-centric home-monitoring device, a version of its smart home hub that attaches the screen to a robotic arm, and an in-home security monitoring service.” Of course Apple already has a huge Apple Home smart home ecosystem using third party devices, but I’d say that if Apple gets its own brand smart home devices more established, don’t bet against it producing its own versions of devices like the LG Video Doorbell that are even more privacy centric.
Naturally all these products will not only support Wi-Fi, but also the open smart home protocols that Apple is a member of – Matter and Thread. The Apple TV of the present from 2022 is already a Matter controller and Thread border router, enabling it to act as the centre of an Apple Home smart home setup. Expect the HomePod and HomeView to do the same.
More to come from Apple in October?
I am also expecting some other devices from Apple soon – the iPad Mini (8th generation) is overdue and surely an M6 version of the iMac is on the way as well. There are also continued rumors – latterly because of info from the macOS 27.2 code – that there will be a touchscreen MacBook Ultra (essentially an extreme version of the MacBook Pro). I think these Macs will be with us in November instead as all of this is too much for a single preview event without a large public launch.
