Apple's smart home hub, reportedly called HomeView, has had nearly everything leak

HomeView is likely the name for Apple’s upcoming Echo Show rival that will reportedly be revealed on October 13. Said to be built around the iPhone, this smart home hub’s name, details and renders have leaked ahead of the launch.

Hello HomeView

Bloomberg’s lead Apple reporter, Mark Gurman, revealed in his Power On newsletter on October 11 what is reportedly the official name for Apple’s upcoming smart home hub. He also revealed more details on what we can expect it to look like, including the two versions of the product we will likely see.

According to Gurman, HomeView will have a display and be powered by the A18 chip, being essentially the Siri command center for an Apple home. It will also come in two versions:

• A countertop version that will have a metal speaker base that will be available in space gray, silver, starlight and pink.
• A wall-mounted version with a flat square base that will be available only in space gray and silver.

The name "HomeView" was also corroborated by leaker Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech in a video. The device is expected to be officially announced on Tuesday and ship around mid-November.

Competition with the Echo Show or Nest Hub

HomeView is not expected to have an App Store. Instead, it will reportedly have a limited set of Apple apps installed, and Apple is betting on third-party accessories that connect to HomeView that you can control through Siri and the Home app.

Those who have used Apple’s Home app in the past may be familiar with HomeKit, Apple’s smart home platform and software framework that the company stuck to for years, though its impracticality held it back.

The problem with HomeKit was its lack of compatibility with many popular smart home accessories. However, Matter (a shared smart home standard) and Thread (a wireless network used for accessories to talk to each other that needs a Thread-enabled hub) solve this problem by allowing people to use many of the accessories they already own.

This is something that HomeView will likely benefit from. Basically, if you already own Matter gear from an Alexa or Google Home setup, you likely wouldn’t be starting from scratch.

As far as price, this detail hasn’t been confirmed yet, but according to earlier reports, it is rumored to cost about $350. Compared to the Amazon Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11, which cost $180 and $220 respectively, Apple’s offering seems pretty pricey.

Google’s newest smart home display is still the 2021 2nd gen Nest Hub. However, current Echo and Nest owners who want to switch would still have the advantage of likely having the required smart home accessories already.

Who benefits from HomeView in mid-November

The most likely beneficiaries of HomeView making its debut are iPhone owners who already own Matter or Thread accessories. However, note that they will have to wait about a month before it officially goes on sale.

Worth the switch?

Because I value open standards, I have outfitted my home to be compatible with Google Home, which I know I can use no matter which phone I am using at the moment. With Matter and Thread now in the equation, it is easier than ever to switch to HomeKit, but after all the work I’ve put in, I probably won’t.

Still, I like HomeView and how it harkens back to that iMac G4 look that remains a classic, should it turn out the way it looks in Prosser’s renders.

More on Apple's smart home push:

• Apple's smart home products are almost here
• Everything Apple is rumored to launch on October 13
• Amazon's latest Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11

• Follow me on X and Threads

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