Apple has announced a special event for Tuesday, October 13, teased with the tagline 'Welcome home.' The launch will take place in Tribeca, New York, at 9:00 a.m. ET, and press invites describe it as an 'Apple Experience' event. The date was shared by Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, in a teaser video posted on X.
The invitation strongly suggests a smart home focus, and that is exactly what reports have been pointing to for months. According to The Verge and Engadget, Apple is rumored to debut its long-awaited HomePad smart display, a refreshed Apple TV, and an updated HomePod mini. Apple has reportedly also co-developed a range of smart home devices with LG that will launch under the LG brand.
HomePad: Apple's smart home hub
The HomePad is the product most closely tied to the 'Welcome home' tagline. Engadget reports it has been rumored for years as Apple's answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub, and that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the device was delayed until Siri AI was ready. Siri AI finally launched last month with a beta tag, which appears to have opened the door for the smart home push.
According to the leaks, the HomePad is expected to run a fresh operating system dubbed homeOS and to center on a dashboard similar to the StandBy mode on iPhone. It is also said to use face and voice recognition to personalize content based on who is using it, and to control smart home products alongside FaceTime, streaming and intercom features.
- Seven-inch display with a new operating system reportedly called homeOS
- Dashboard interface said to resemble StandBy mode on iPhone
- Rumored face and voice recognition to personalize content
