Apple Announced Apple HomeView--A 7-Inch Siri AI Home Hub on an A18 Chip That Recognizes Six Faces, Tabletop or Wall-Mounted at $299 Either Way, Shipping November 13
Apple announced Apple HomeView on October 13 in Apple's press release: a 7-inch Liquid Retina touch screen on a stainless steel hinge over a domed speaker base, an A18 chip, Siri AI, and a camera that recognizes up to six people by face and gives each a Home Screen of their own. There are two models, Apple HomeView in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray, and Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) in space gray and silver, each $299. Apple says pre-orders opened October 13 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and the UK, with availability in those countries beginning Friday, November 13. It shares the price and the ship date with the Apple TV 4K we covered on October 13.
What is in it
Apple's tech specs page lists a 7-inch diagonal, 1088-by-1088-pixel display at 220 ppi with True Tone, 500 nits at most and 0.3 nits at least, a 12MP Center Stage camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture, four microphones for far-field Siri, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0, Thread, a temperature and humidity sensor, and one USB-C connector. The tabletop model has two full-range drivers in the display and a down-firing woofer with two force-cancelling passive radiators in the base, and weighs 2.1 pounds; the wall model has the two drivers, is 0.39 inch thick and weighs 0.63 pound. Setup needs an iPhone on iOS 27.2 or an iPad on iPadOS 27.2.
The screen shows faces: Photos, with a shared album as a living photo frame; Flow, which responds to presence and movement; Snoopy; Home Modular for your accessories; and Home Camera, which streams up to nine feeds at once. The built-in apps are Alarms, Calendar, FaceTime, Find My, Home, Intercom, Messages, Music, Podcasts, Reminders, Safari, Settings, Timers, Weather and World Clock. There is no App Store on it: MacRumors describes a CarPlay-like arrangement in which third-party audio and video apps appear when a compatible iPhone or iPad is paired and nearby. The operating system is not the homeOS of the trademark filing; MacRumors notes the box ships with "HomeView software version 27.2".
Siri AI, and the iPhone it leans on
Siri AI is a beta in HomeView software 27.2, in English, in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. Anyone in the house gets world knowledge and music discovery from it; personal context, what is in your Messages and Calendar or an action across apps, needs a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad on the latest software, and your personal content appears only when the camera recognizes you and that device is present and recently unlocked. Apple says the A18 includes Secure Exclaves that process camera and microphone data where the HomeView's own software, apps, the user and Apple cannot reach it. Apple is not selling it in the European Union because Siri AI is not available in iOS there, and says it is working with the EU on a path forward.
Two models, one price, and what the wall one leaves out
Both models are $299 on Apple's store page, and the wall-mounted one comes with nothing but documentation. The mounts are made by Schneider Home: the Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector at $59.95, the Power Mount AC Wired at $79.95, for which Apple offers ADT installation in most areas, and a Power Mount PoE Wired that Apple says arrives in early 2027 at $129.95. Apple's power adapter article, published October 13, says the wall model needs a USB-C adapter of at least 20W that supports 9V at 2.22A, or it shows a "Not Enough Power" warning; the tabletop model's box has a 1.5-meter USB-C cable and a 30W adapter. By our arithmetic the cheapest working wall setup is $358.95 before you buy an adapter, for a box that MacRumors points out drops the woofer and the passive radiators and two of the four colors: "paying more for less hardware."
Repairs are flat-rate. MacRumors reports $279 for any damage to either model out of warranty and $39 with AppleCare+, which is $2.49 a month or $24.99 a year for the HomeView. By our arithmetic a repair without the plan costs $20 less than a new one.
Then and now
The shape is not new to Apple. Our January 2002 reflections on the LCD iMac described a 15-inch LCD on a polished stainless steel neck over a white hemispherical base 10.6 inches across, and our note of October 14, 2002 recorded that iMac's PC Magazine Editor's Choice among consumer desktops. The HomeView is the same idea 24 years on, with a woofer in the dome instead of a G4. We would order the tabletop model and leave the wall one alone until a mount and an adapter are in its box.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom, “Meet Apple HomeView, a new way to enjoy entertainment and manage the home” accessed Oct 14, 2026
October 13, 2026 press release: 7-inch Liquid Retina display on a stainless steel hinge over a domed speaker base; recognizes up to six people by face, each with a personalized Home Screen; Siri AI with world knowledge, music discovery and, with a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, personal context from Messages and Calendar and actions across apps; personal content shown only when the enrolled user is recognized by face and the paired device is present and recently unlocked; the A18 chip's Secure Exclaves keep camera and microphone data from HomeView software, apps, the user and Apple; Photos, Flow, Snoopy, Home Modular and Home Camera faces, the last streaming up to nine feeds; Apple HomeView in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray and Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) in space gray and silver, each $299 (U.S.); pre-orders from October 13 in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S., availability beginning Friday, November 13; three Schneider Home mounts, Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector from $59.95, Power Mount AC Wired from $79.95, Power Mount PoE Wired in early 2027 for $129.95; Siri AI in beta in HomeView software version 27.2, in English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK; not available in the EU because Siri AI is unavailable in iOS there, Apple working with the EU to find a path forward; the press picture.
- Apple, “Apple HomeView - Technical Specifications” accessed Oct 14, 2026
7-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina display, 1088-by-1088 pixels at 220 ppi, True Tone, 500 nits maximum and 0.3 nits minimum; A18 chip; 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture; four-microphone design for far-field Siri; Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0, Thread; temperature and humidity sensor; one USB-C connector; tabletop speakers two custom full-range drivers, custom down-firing woofer, dual force-cancelling passive radiators, 2.1 pounds; wall-mounted two custom full-range drivers, 0.39 inch, 0.63 pound; built-in apps Alarms, Calendar, FaceTime, Find My, Home, Intercom, Messages, Music, Podcasts, Reminders, Safari, Settings, Timers, Weather, World Clock; system requirements iPhone with iOS 27.2 or later or iPad with iPadOS 27.2 or later; in the box for Apple HomeView a USB-C cable (1.5 m) and a 30W power adapter, for Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) documentation only; the wall model's mount, cable and adapter (minimum 20W) sold separately.
- Apple Support, “Power adapters for Apple HomeView” accessed Oct 14, 2026
Published October 13, 2026: HomeView ships with a power cable and adapter; HomeView (Wall Mounted) requires a compatible third-party mount and power solution, sold separately; the wall model needs a USB-C power adapter that is at least 20W and supports 9V at 2.22A or higher; a "Not Enough Power" warning when the requirement is not met.
- Apple, “Apple HomeView - Apple” accessed Oct 14, 2026
Pre-order Apple HomeView, available starting 11.13; Apple HomeView in rose pink, space gray, silver and starlight at $299.00 each; Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) in silver and space gray at $299.00 each; power mounts sold separately; the wall model's mount, USB-C cable and USB-C power adapter sold separately; ADT professional installation available in most areas for the Wall Mounted model.
- MacRumors, “HomeView's Wall Model: Pay More, Get Less Speaker” accessed Oct 14, 2026
October 13, 2026, 7:37 am PDT: both models $299 with no discount for the base-free model; the wall model only in silver or space gray; the base model's down-firing woofer and two force-canceling passive radiators are not in the wall-mounted version; wall buyers "are going to be paying more for less hardware."
- MacRumors, “HomeView Runs Third-Party Apps From Your iPhone or iPad” accessed Oct 14, 2026
October 13, 2026: Apple did not create an App Store for the HomeView and there is no on-device way to download apps; a CarPlay-like system in which third-party audio and video apps appear when the HomeView is connected to a compatible, paired, recently unlocked iPhone or iPad nearby.
- MacRumors, “RIP, homeOS” accessed Oct 14, 2026
October 13, 2026: Apple was likely behind a homeOS trademark filing but did not use the name; the device ships with "HomeView software version 27.2".
- MacRumors, “Apple's HomeView Repair Fees Revealed” accessed Oct 14, 2026
October 13, 2026, 5:44 pm PDT: repair fees of $39 with AppleCare+ and $279 without, for any type of damage to either the tabletop or wall-mounted model; AppleCare+ for the HomeView at $2.49 per month or $24.99 per year.
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