Apple Targets October 13 for Smart Home Hub, New HomePod mini and Apple TV [Gurman]

Apple plans to announce a smart home hub on October 13, alongside updated HomePod mini and Apple TV models, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The hub would be the centerpiece of a long-delayed lineup built around the new Siri AI assistant.

Code-named J490, the hub has a roughly 6-inch square screen. The countertop version sits above a round metal speaker base on an arm that lets users tilt the display. A wall-mounted version, code-named J491, has a thinner base that sits flat beneath the screen. Neither has a battery; both run on USB-C power.

The display is designed to recognize who is speaking or approaching, then show that person's contacts, messages, calendar, notes and preferred app layout. When another household member walks up, the interface changes to their content. A guest mode hides personal information from visitors.

Identification works by voice or through a front-facing camera, though the facial system is less reliable than Face ID on an iPhone. Users can require secondary authentication through their iPhone, which also serves as a fallback if the hub identifies someone incorrectly.

Beyond personalized information, the device is meant for controlling smart-home accessories, making FaceTime calls, playing music and displaying photos. In the kitchen, it could also pull up recipes or videos. Its interface mixes iPad-style apps with Apple Watch-like icons, iPhone-style widgets and a clock or photo display.

The refreshed HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to keep their current designs while gaining faster processors to support Siri AI. New HomePod mini colors will include green and pink. These would be the speaker's first update since its 2020 debut and the first new Apple TV set-top box since 2022.

The three devices were originally targeted for 2024, but delays to the upgraded assistant pushed them back. Siri AI entered beta earlier this month on Apple's existing devices.

Separate from this lineup, Apple is developing a home-security camera and sensor that can detect which room a person is in without recording video. A more advanced hub with a 9-inch display and a robotic arm that can swivel the screen 360 degrees is also in development.