Apple HomeView: The New Smart Home Display

Apple has announced HomeView, its own smart home display. It’s Apple’s answer to the smart displays and speakers already in a lot of homes. It was announced on Tuesday, is available to pre-order now, and ships on Friday 13 November.

What it is

HomeView is a 7-inch Liquid Retina display on a recycled aluminium body, with a domed speaker base underneath. You can stand it on a bench or mount it on the wall. It comes in four colours: rose pink, silver, space gray and starlight. The wall-mountable version comes in silver and space gray.

It plays music, makes FaceTime calls, and shows what’s in your Messages, Calendar, Reminders and Find My. Siri AI is built in.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said HomeView “recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience”. He added that it fills the room with sound, keeps you in touch through FaceTime, and makes it easy to control your smart home.

Help around the house

HomeView is meant to take care of the small jobs while you’re busy. You can:

• Check your calendar, set reminders and work through your to-do list
• Pull up a quick craft tutorial
• Ask Siri AI to recommend a new café
• Run several timers at once for chores, and keep an eye on them with Live Activities while you use other apps

Made for six people

HomeView can tell up to six people apart. Everyone gets their own home screen with their own apps and widgets, and can switch between that and a shared household screen. Photos, music and other personal content stay private to each person, unless they choose to share it on the communal screen.

Music, video and calls

HomeView plays music, podcasts, audiobooks and TV shows. You could have a sing-along, listen to a good story, or follow the game while you do the dishes.

It’s also built for staying in touch:

• FaceTime: clear, hands-free calls, whether it’s a friend overseas or the kids being called to dinner.
• Intercom: send a message to other HomeView displays, HomePod speakers, iPhones, iPads or Apple Watches. It works much like the “drop-in” feature on Amazon Echo devices.
• Voice: send messages and make phone calls using just your voice.
• Find My: locate your devices, anything with an AirTag, and people who’ve chosen to share their location with you.

You can use HomeView by touch, like a phone, or by voice. For example, you can reply to a text by typing on the on-screen keyboard or by dictating.

Siri AI

HomeView uses Siri AI, the new version of Apple’s assistant also found on the iPhone and MacBook. Apple says it has “personal context understanding and onscreen awareness”, and you can ask it about almost any topic and get an answer. Your Siri conversations on HomeView can sync through the Siri app to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch.

Your smart home hub

HomeView works with your other Apple devices, and with the new smart home cameras, thermostats and locks in the Apple Home Collection. It’s the central point for your accessories, so everything is controlled from one place.

Price and availability

• Price: $599 NZD, for both the tabletop and wall-mount versions
• Release date: Friday 13 November
• Contact Mike Scragg 0218373727 or email: mike.scragg@imagetext.co.nz

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