Apple Home Hub: Expected Price, Release Date and Features
Apple holds its "Welcome home" launch on Tuesday, October 13, where Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and MacRumors expect it to unveil an all-new smart home hub; Apple has not named the products. Apple has not said what the hub costs or when it goes on sale. Gurman reports that it will be called HomeView and will ship around mid-November (MacRumors), and no price has been reported. MacRumors has said the price could be around $350 (its hub guide). Apart from the October 13 date, everything below is a report, not an announcement, and each item says who reported it. This page uses reports up to October 11 and will be updated with Apple's official details on October 13.
The hub at a glance
| Status | What we know | |
|---|---|---|
| Launch event | Confirmed by Apple | The date only: Tuesday, October 13, a "Welcome home" launch. Apple has invited reporters to a press "Apple Experience" in New York at 9:00 am Eastern (13:00 UTC), 9to5Mac reported. Apple has not named the products. |
| Name | Reported | HomeView, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It matches a trademark filing by a shell company that MacRumors found. Earlier rumors called it HomePad. |
| Release date | Reported | Around mid-November, "at least as of now", Gurman says, so about a month after the unveiling (MacRumors). |
| Price | Not reported | Gurman gave no price. MacRumors has said it could be around $350 (its hub guide). |
| Screen and chip | Reported | A touch-enabled 6-inch square display and an A18 chip, with Siri AI for voice control (MacRumors, MacRumors). |
| Versions and colors | Reported | A tabletop version with a metal speaker base in gray, silver, starlight and rose (pink), and a wall-mounted version with a flat square plate in gray and silver only (MacRumors). |
| Apps | Reported | A selection of Apple apps and no App Store for third-party apps (MacRumors). |
When can you buy it?
Gurman reports that the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini will reach customers and stores on Friday, October 30, and that the hub will follow around mid-November. Apple has confirmed none of these dates.
| Product | Unveiling | On sale (reported) | Price of the current model (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeView hub (new) | Oct 13 (expected) | Around mid-November | New product. No price reported |
| HomePod mini (new) | Oct 13 (expected) | Friday, October 30 | $129 |
| Apple TV 4K (new) | Oct 13 (expected) | Friday, October 30 | $199 (Wi-Fi), $249 (Wi-Fi and Ethernet) |
| Apple Home accessories with LG and Schneider Electric | May be shown on Oct 13 | LG: "until later this year at the earliest" (MacRumors) | Not applicable |
The prices in the last column are the current US prices after Apple raised them on June 25 from $99 for the HomePod mini, $129 and $149 for the Apple TV, and $299 for the HomePod. Apple blamed the memory chip shortage, MacRumors reported. MacRumors' buyer's guides currently say "Don't Buy" for the Apple TV and HomePod mini, because new models are expected.
What the hub is expected to do
- Siri AI at the center. Gurman describes the hub as the Siri command center of an Apple-powered home, controlled mainly by voice, with a touch screen, MacRumors summarized.
- Better sound than the HomePod mini for the tabletop version, according to Gurman.
- Apple apps only. MacRumors' October 10 report lists Calendar, Camera, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Reminders and Notes as apps expected on the device, and says not to expect third-party apps at launch (MacRumors). 9to5Mac says users might be able to show third-party app widgets from a nearby iPhone (9to5Mac).
- Earlier reports in MacRumors' hub guide add a front camera for FaceTime and recognizing who is in the room, a presence sensor, USB-C power with no battery, and room-to-room intercom between two or more hubs. These come from earlier leaks and were not in Gurman's newest report.
Accessories made with LG and Schneider Electric
Gurman says the hub will come with an "Apple Home Collection" of accessories developed with brands such as LG and Schneider Electric: a smart doorbell, deadbolt lock, thermostat, temperature sensor, and indoor, outdoor and floodlight security cameras. LG's products will not ship "until later this year at the earliest", according to the details MacRumors summarized on October 11.
The other two products, as reported
- HomePod mini: the Apple Watch Series 10's S10 chip, up from the S5, in green, pink, blue, white and midnight (MacRumors).
- Apple TV 4K: an A19 chip with 8GB of RAM, possibly built-in microphones for Siri AI and an updated Siri Remote with a speaker that makes it easier to find (MacRumors).
How the launch date moved
| Date | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Mar 9 | Bloomberg: the hub is postponed to September 2026 because the new Siri is not finished (MacRumors). |
| Jul 28 | Bloomberg: release at some point between October and early next year (MacRumors). |
| Sep 21 | Bloomberg: unveiling as soon as October (9to5Mac). |
| Sep 30 | Bloomberg: unveiling on October 13, with a design inspired by the iMac G4 (9to5Mac). |
| Oct 8 | Apple announces its "Welcome home" launch for October 13 (MacRumors). |
| Oct 11 | Bloomberg: named HomeView, on sale around mid-November (MacRumors). |
How to follow the announcement
Apple has called October 13 an "experience", not an "event". MacRumors expects press releases on Apple Newsroom at about 9:00 am Eastern, with short videos for each product and no keynote video, and Apple has not confirmed this. Local start times in more than 20 cities are on our Apple October 13 launch page.
Sources
- MacRumors: Apple HomeView Smart Hub to Ship in Mid-November in Four Colors (October 11)
- MacRumors: New Apple TV 4K, HomeView, and HomePod Mini: 16 Details Just Leaked (October 11)
- 9to5Mac: Report: Apple 'HomeView' smart home hub will ship in November (October 11)
- MacRumors: Apple's All-New Home Hub Will Be Revealed October 13: What to Expect (October 10)
- MacRumors: Apple Event vs. Apple Experience on October 13 (October 9)
- MacRumors: Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
- MacRumors: Apple TV and HomePod Just Went Up in Price (June 25)
