Apple has officially launched its brand-new hardware product Apple HomeView, the company's first screen-equipped smart hub device designed for the home, combining smart home management, AI assistant, audio-visual entertainment, and video calling capabilities, available in desktop and wall-mounted versions, set to go on sale on November 13.
For a long time, Apple has had the HomeKit smart home platform and the HomePod speaker product line, but has lacked a native screen-equipped hub device. The arrival of Apple HomeView fills this gap. It is no longer merely a smart display, but positioned as the physical interaction hub of the entire Apple home ecosystem, integrating device control, information viewing, family communication, and AI assistant all onto a 7-inch Liquid Retina display.
On the hardware side, HomeView is powered by the A18 chip, with a built-in Secure Exclaves security isolation unit dedicated to processing camera and microphone data. Audio and video recognition data will not be exposed to the system, nor uploaded to Apple's servers, placing privacy protection at the hardware foundation. The display supports True Tone, with brightness ranging from 500 nits to 0.3 nits, balancing daytime bright-light environments with low-brightness bedroom use at night; it features a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, a four-beamforming microphone array, and custom speakers in both the base and screen unit, supporting Spatial Audio. The wall-mounted version's acoustic system has been specially tuned to suit wall installation scenarios.
The desktop version comes in four colors: Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, and Pink; the wall-mounted version is available only in Silver and Space Gray, supporting both wired and plug-in power installation options, suitable for placement in entryways, hallways, and similar locations.
Software and AI are the biggest highlights of this product. HomeView features a built-in Siri AI based on Apple Intelligence, initially supporting English, with world knowledge Q&A, personal context understanding, and multi-turn natural conversation capabilities. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI can access personal content such as calendars and messages, completing tasks like setting reminders, retrieving recipes, and checking schedules, with conversation history seamlessly continuing across Apple devices. The device can recognize up to 6 family members, automatically switching accounts via facial recognition, with each user's calendar, messages, and other personal data isolated from one another. Guests can use basic functions even without an Apple account, such as controlling smart home devices, setting timers, and playing music, but cannot access anyone's private information.
As a smart home dashboard, HomeView is deeply integrated with the Home app, supporting simultaneous viewing of up to nine camera feeds, one-tap adjustment of lights, thermostats, and door locks, and running home automation scenes; it can also detect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm alerts and push notifications to the user's iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. At the same time, Apple has simultaneously launched Apple Home Collection partner accessories, collaborating with third-party brands to create end-to-end encrypted cameras, thermostats, and door locks, completing the hardware ecosystem.
In terms of entertainment experience, the device supports Apple Music, Podcasts, and Audiobooks, supports AirPlay multi-room audio linkage, and can be networked with HomePod and Apple TV 4K; it supports Handoff, allowing music, recipes, and calls playing on iPhone to seamlessly transfer to HomeView for continued use. It also supports FaceTime hands-free calling, whole-home Intercom, voice-based phone calls and messaging, and the Find My feature can also be used directly on the screen. The system offers a rich set of customizable clock faces, including photo gallery, Snoopy, calendar and weather, and the dynamic interactive Flow face, among other styles.
It is worth noting that HomeView does not open a full App Store, only pre-installing select Apple official apps and supporting third-party audio and video apps from iPhone, focusing on home scenarios rather than positioning itself as a general-purpose tablet.
On the market channel side, Apple HomeView will be sold on apple.com, the Apple Store App, and select authorized partners, with in-store Apple Store locations offering hands-on experiences. Industry analysts say that compared to mature screen-equipped smart speakers like Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub, HomeView's biggest differentiating advantage comes from complete Apple ecosystem integration and hardware-level privacy isolation. However, the product's functionality is highly dependent on iPhone/iPad pairing, which also sets a threshold for users' Apple device ownership. This device marks Apple officially bringing Apple Intelligence to home hardware terminals, and also signals Apple's further push into the whole-home smart ecosystem race.