Apple’s Welcome Home Event: HomeView Leads New Smart Home Lineup

At its ‘Welcome Home’ event in New York on Tuesday, Apple announced HomeView, its first smart display, along with a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2. Apple also launched the Apple Home Collection. This collection includes cameras, a smart lock and thermostats. Apple worked with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric to create these devices.

Apple has been involved in the home world since 2014, when Apple introduced HomeKit. For most of that period Apple gave the software while other makers built the cameras, locks, displays and thermostats. Amazon already has Echo Show and Ring, while Google's Nest range covers much of the same territory.

That changes with the latest products.

Apple is also relying heavily on its revamped Siri AI. The assistant is designed to answer questions more naturally, understand what is happening on screen and, when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, provide more personal answers.

HomeView is Apple's answer to the Echo Show

HomeView is built around a Liquid Retina display that is connected to a speaker base. The stainless steel hinge lets users adjust the viewing angle making HomeView suitable for a kitchen counter, a desk or a bedside table.

The display can dim down to 0.3 nits at night. Apple will sell it in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray, along with a wall-mounted version.

The interesting part is how HomeView handles multiple people. It can recognise up to six users and show each person a different Home Screen. Personal information such as Messages, Calendar and Reminders remains tied to the individual, while shared albums and music are available to everyone.

"Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

HomeView also includes FaceTime with Center Stage, Apple Music, cooking instructions, hands-free timers and a Home Camera interface that can display nine feeds at once.

In India, HomeView costs Rs 39,900 and will be available from November 13. Pre-orders are already open. The wall-mounted version requires a Schneider Home mount, sold separately.

Siri becomes a bigger part of Apple TV

The new Apple TV 4K looks almost unchanged from the previous generation, but Apple has made several changes under the hood.

Three far-field microphones allow users to talk to Siri without picking up the remote. The Siri Remote itself now works with Find My and Precision Finding, making it easier to locate when it disappears between sofa cushions.

Apple says the A19 chip provides up to 50 per cent faster CPU performance and twice the graphics performance. There is also a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient streaming.

Siri AI can appear across the Apple TV interface when users are browsing. During a show or movie, it can shrink into an overlay so viewers can ask questions without completely leaving what they are watching.

The new Apple TV 4K starts at Rs 39,900 in India and goes on sale November 13.

HomePod mini 2 gets a fresh look

Apple has kept the familiar rounded design of the HomePod mini but added new colour choices: pink, green, blue, white and midnight.

The speaker's top panel now features Sound Glow, which reacts to music and uses colours inspired by album artwork.

Inside, the HomePod mini 2 runs on Apple's S10 chip. It can recognise up to six people by voice, work as a speaker for a Mac and join other HomePod speakers in a surround-sound setup with Apple TV 4K.

There is one notable catch. Siri AI will not be available on the HomePod mini 2 at launch. Apple says it will arrive in a future software update.

The speaker costs Rs 18,900 in India and will be available from October 30.

Cameras and smart locks finally arrive

Apple Home Collection fills another long-standing gap in Apple's smart home lineup.

LG Electronics and Schneider Electric are making the hardware, while Apple has worked with both companies to integrate the products directly into Apple Home.

LG's range includes four cameras. The Video Doorbell has an additional camera pointing downwards to keep an eye on packages. The Outdoor and Floodlight cameras offer colour night vision in low-light conditions.

The Indoor Cam takes a different approach to privacy. When someone from the household arrives, the camera can physically tilt down and stop watching.

With compatible iCloud+ plans, Apple Intelligence can also describe camera footage and allow users to search recordings using everyday language.

The LG Smart Deadbolt Lock uses Ultra Wideband to detect a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch and unlock the door as the user approaches. It also has a PIN pad and a hidden key slot. Importantly, it can continue working even when the internet connection goes down.

Apple is also adding two smart thermostats, made by LG and Schneider Electric. They can adjust heating and cooling depending on whether anyone is home.

"Working closely with industry leaders LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, we designed every accessory to work seamlessly with Apple Home," said Matthew Costello, Apple's vice president of Hardware Engineering.

The Apple Home Collection begins rolling out in December in the US and Canada. Some products will also reach the UK, but India is not included in the first wave.

Apple's message from the event is fairly clear: the company no longer wants to be just the software layer connecting your smart home. With its own display, speakers and a growing range of connected accessories, Apple is now trying to build the hardware around it too.