Leak reveals key details of Apple's upcoming smart home devices
What's the story
Ahead of Apple's "Welcome home" event in New York, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed a number of details about the new products expected to be unveiled. The lineup includes an innovative smart home hub called HomeView, a second-generation HomePod mini, and an upgraded Apple TV 4K. Here's everything you need to know about these upcoming devices.
Product details
HomeView will be powered by an A18 chip
The new smart home hub will be called HomeView, corroborating a trademark application first spotted by MacRumors.
The device will feature an A18 chip, which is currently used in iPhones and has 8GB of RAM. It will also support Siri AI for voice control.
There will be two versions of HomeView: a tabletop model with a metal speaker base and a wall-mounted one with a flat base.
Aesthetics
Tabletop version will offer better sound quality than HomePod mini
The tabletop version of HomeView will offer better sound quality than the HomePod mini.
It will be available in four colors: Gray, Silver, Starlight, and Rose. The wall-mounted version will only come in Gray and Silver.
Although it will come pre-installed with some Apple apps, there won't be an App Store for third-party apps.
More releases
Apple will also introduce 'Apple Home Collection' of accessories
HomeView will be officially unveiled on October 13, but won't hit the shelves until around mid-November.
It will also come with an "Apple Home Collection" of accessories developed by brands like LG and Schneider Electric in collaboration with Apple.
These include a smart doorbell, deadbolt lock, thermostat, temperature sensor, indoor/outdoor security cameras, and floodlight camera.
These LG's accessories for the HomeView won't ship "until later this year at the earliest."
Information
What to expect from the second-gen HomePod mini?
The second-generation HomePod mini will be powered by the S10 chip from the Apple Watch Series 10, an upgrade from the current model's S5 chip. It will come in five colors: Green, Pink, Blue, White, and Midnight.
Apple TV 4K
The revamped Apple TV remote could feature a built-in speaker
The new Apple TV 4K will be powered by an A19 chip with 8GB of RAM and may feature built-in microphones for Siri AI.
It could come with an updated Siri Remote that has a built-in speaker for easier location tracking.
The HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K models will be unveiled on October 13 and hit the stores on October 30.