Apple Launches $299 HomeView Display to Challenge Amazon, Google

The latest:

A $299 touchscreen hub called HomeView is Apple’s bid to break Amazon and Google’s grip on the smart home. The company said the 7-inch square display, available Nov. 13, runs almost entirely on hands-free voice commands and uses a built-in camera to recognize up to six household members. Apple unveiled it Tuesday alongside a new Apple TV 4K and the HomePod mini 2.

Details:

• The device: HomeView has no physical buttons and ships in two versions at the same $299 price: a tabletop model with an aluminum base and adjustable stainless steel hinge, and a wall-mounted edition. The tabletop runs on USB-C, while the wall version supports power over Ethernet, which Apple said could ease installation.
• The screen: The display is square rather than widescreen, a choice Apple said sets it apart from TVs and monitors. It peaks at 500 nits and dims to 0.3 nits, which the company called the lowest level of any display it has made, intended to avoid distraction on a bedside table at night.
• Personalization: When HomeView recognizes a household member, it shows that person’s apps, widgets and calendar, and Siri AI draws on what it knows about each user to answer requests or send messages. The device always pulls personal context from a nearby iPhone rather than storing that data locally.
• Privacy limits: If a recognized user leaves the camera’s view, the screen reverts to a shared household mode within seconds. Each person’s iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network and recently unlocked. Unidentified guests can adjust thermostats and lights but cannot control locks or view camera history.
• The partners: Apple codeveloped an “Apple Home Collection” of accessories with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, including indoor and outdoor cameras, a wired video doorbell, thermostats, floodlight cam and a smart door lock. Prices run from $199.95 to $399.95, shipping from December, initially limited to Apple’s own stores.
• No App Store: HomeView carries Apple TV, Music, Calendar, Podcasts and Safari, but has no app marketplace. The company said third-party audio and video services built on its CarPlay architecture will appear on the display as they do on a car dashboard, letting Spotify run without a conventional app.
• Apple TV 4K: The upgraded set-top box adds built-in microphones for hands-free Siri AI commands, with the assistant replying in on-screen text rather than speaking. The remote keeps its design but can now emit a sound when lost, and iPhone precision finding can pinpoint it. Up to four HomePods can be grouped for surround sound.
• HomePod mini 2: The $149 speaker arrives Oct. 30 in green, pink, blue, white and midnight, with an upgraded S10 chip and a Sound Glow feature lighting the top surface to match album artwork or ambient soundscapes. Apple said Siri AI will reach the speaker only in a later software update, without naming a date.
• The prices: Both refreshed devices cost more than their predecessors. The Apple TV 4K rises to $299 from $199, and the HomePod mini to $149 from $129. Apple attributed the increases to a broader wave of price hikes driven by a shortage of memory chips and other components.

Background:

Amazon and Google have dominated smart displays and voice assistants for years through Echo and Nest devices. HomeView is Apple’s first smart display of any kind, arriving after the company repeatedly delayed a more capable Siri.

Between the lines:

The pricing tells its own story: Apple is raising costs on two existing products it blames on component shortages, while pricing its untested first display at the same $299 as the set-top box. The absence of an App Store, with CarPlay apps filling the gap, suggests a deliberately narrow software bet rather than a full platform launch.

What’s next

Preorders for HomeView, Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 opened Tuesday. The HomePod mini 2 ships Oct. 30, the other two Nov. 13, and Apple Home Collection accessories in December. iPhone Duo foldable orders open Oct. 16.