Apple unveiled HomeView on Tuesday, a $299 smart home hub with a display that supports home controls, FaceTime calls, music playback and video viewing.
Preorders began Tuesday, with the device available to buy from November 13. HomeView comes in countertop and wall-mounted versions, with four color options: silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray.
The hub runs Apple’s updated Siri AI assistant and can recognize individual household members. Apple says HomeView can recognize up to six people.
Once the device identifies a person, its screen can display that user’s messages, contacts, calendar appointments, notes and preferred apps. The interface changes automatically when another family member approaches.
HomeView works as a smart home dashboard, allowing users to ask Siri to display camera feeds, adjust thermostats, turn on lights and lock doors.
Apple also announced a lineup of smart home accessories on Tuesday, including a smart deadbolt lock, security cameras and a doorbell. HomeView can play a chime when someone is at the door.
The device resembles a cuboid HomePod with a display on the front. It measures 7 inches wide and has one front-facing FaceTime camera, with microphones and speakers built into its base.
Apple preloads HomeView with Calendar, Messages, Photos, FaceTime, Notes, Reminders, Music and Podcasts. Users can check appointments, send messages, play music and view photos without using an iPhone. The hub also supports photo slideshows.
Apple sees the kitchen as a place where the device would be particularly useful. Users cooking dinner could access a recipe, watch a video, check their calendar or start a FaceTime call without reaching for their phone.
HomeView competes with Amazon’s Echo Show lineup and Google’s Nest Hub smart displays. Apple has had mixed results in the smart home market, with its HomePod struggling to match the popularity of competing devices.
The hub had been rumored for some time. Reports pointed to delays caused partly by problems with Siri AI, which reportedly also affected Apple’s broader smart home plans.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple could eventually introduce a more advanced version with a robotic arm. Such a device could move its display and interact in a more physical way.
