Apple Just Announced a New Gadget that Could Be Key to Its AI Push
The 7-inch hub recognizes up to six people and uses Siri AI to personalize controls for lights, locks, cameras and calendars.
- On Tuesday, Apple unveiled the HomeView, its first smart home hub, at the Welcome Home event in New York. Priced at $299, the device controls connected accessories while enabling Siri interactions.
- Apple originally planned to launch the smart display in 2024 but delayed the project to prioritize a comprehensive Siri AI overhaul. The company finally launched that Siri update last month, clearing the way for HomeView's release.
- Featuring a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, the hub uses an A18 chip for facial recognition and security. It includes a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera with Center Stage and a down-firing woofer to bolster audio performance.
- Customers in the US, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the UK can preorder the device now for $299, with shipping beginning November 13. Integration with the Apple Home Collection includes thermostats developed with Schneider Electric.
- Beyond controlling smart home devices, HomeView functions as a Matter controller and Thread Border Router to ensure broad compatibility. This launch marks Apple's direct challenge to existing smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show.
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Apple's HomeView is nearly a decade late. That might not matter
Apple thinks you might want a screen in your kitchen or bedroom. It’s nearly a decade late to the party, with its $299 HomeView, announced on October 13, arriving nine years after Amazon unveiled the Echo Show, and eight after Google came out with its own Home Hub. But that tardiness doesn’t matter for the Cupertino tech giant, which has made its name by arriving with technology others have already developed, then doing it better—and making it a…
HomeView allows you to manage devices and access personal content by facial recognition. The renewed HomePod mini adds audio enhancements, although Siri AI will receive in a later update.
Apple presented several gadgets for home, where HomeView stands out, which wants to be a "central" piece of the house. It combines a column and a screen, with the ability to recognize different people.
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