Apple's Siri AI-powered smart home hub is finally ready after years waiting on assistant upgrade
8 Sources
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Is Apple Finally Ready to Refresh Its Smart Home Devices, Launch a Home Hub?
(Credit: Timon Schneider/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Apple's long-awaited refreshed Siri AI will be at the heart of three new smart home gadgets, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. One device is a new product category: a smart home hub set to host the improved
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Apple's smart home lineup was ready. Siri held it back.
A new Apple TV 4K, a refreshed HomePod mini, and a Siri AI hub are reportedly close. European buyers may get the boxes without the assistant that justifies them. Apple is preparing a push into the smart home with a new Apple TV 4K, an updated HomePod mini, and a hub device built around its rebuilt
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Apple Might Finally, Actually (For Real) Launch a Smart Home Hub
After years of rumors about Apple's big smart home push, we might finally see some results. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is readying new hardware for launch as soon as this fall, and that includes the company's first-ever smart home hub. The hub -- a Siri-powered device with a
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Apple's big Siri AI-powered smart home hub is nearly here
HomePad will offer FaceTime, smart home control, and facial recognition, with future plans including a security camera and premium hub with robotic arm. Apple has been planning a resurgence into the smart home market for some time. But, according to multiple reports over the years, Siri has always
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Apple's long-delayed smart home plans may finally start to take shape this fall
Bloomberg says Apple's long-awaited home hub, along with updated Apple TV and HomePod mini models, could roll out over the coming months. Apple's long-rumored smart home ambitions may finally be ready for prime time. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing to launch three new home
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Apple prepares three new smart home devices
Apple is preparing to launch three new smart home devices this fall, including an upgraded Apple TV 4K, a refreshed HomePod mini and a standalone home hub with a display, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter that the Apple TV and HomePod mini hardware
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Apple Could Launch Siri AI Smart Home Hub, Apple TV and HomePod Mini Soon
* Siri AI is expected to power the new smart home hub * Facial recognition could personalise the hub experience * Apple may offer two versions of the smart home hub Apple is reportedly close to launching three new smart home products centred on Siri AI as it prepares to expand its presence in
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Apple plans Siri AI-powered home hub, new Apple TV and refreshed HomePod mini: Report
Apple is reportedly preparing a new lineup of smart home devices, including a Siri AI-powered home hub, a refreshed Apple TV and an updated HomePod mini. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the upcoming devices will compete with Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub in the AI-powered smart
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Apple is preparing to launch three new smart home devices, including its first-ever smart home hub powered by Siri AI. The hardware has been ready for months but was held back by delays in developing the rebuilt Siri assistant. The new lineup includes a 7-inch display hub with facial recognition, a refreshed Apple TV with improved processors, and an updated HomePod Mini, with releases expected between fall 2025 and early 2026.
Apple Smart Home Push Finally Moves Forward with Siri AI at the Center
Apple is preparing to launch three new smart home devices after years of delays, with Siri AI finally enabling the company's long-awaited entry into the smart home market. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the lineup includes Apple's first-ever smart home hub, a refreshed Apple TV 4K, and an updated HomePod Mini, all designed to compete in the smart home market dominated by Amazon and Google
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. The hardware for the first two devices has reportedly been finished for months and is already being tested by Apple employees at the Cupertino campus, but the entire lineup sat waiting on an assistant that kept slipping2
.The Siri AI-Powered Smart Home Hub Takes Center Stage
The most ambitious product in the lineup is the smart home hub, reportedly dubbed HomePad, which features a 7-inch square display with facial recognition technology
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. The device can identify who is using it, determine where they are in the room, and tailor what it shows accordingly. For example, if the home hub has access to multiple people's calendars, it can identify you and display the correct information rather than what appears for others in your home . The hub can also resize text depending on how far away you're standing, creating a personalized experience powered by Apple Intelligence.The device runs on a new operating system based on Apple's tvOS platform, with design elements similar to watchOS and iOS, featuring grids of icons, widgets, and apps
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. Features include controls for smart home appliances, FaceTime video calls with Center Stage, photo viewing, and music playback3
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. Two versions are expected: one with a half-dome base resembling a HomePod mini cut in half, and another designed for wall mounting with a magnetic system4
. Earlier reports suggest pricing around $3494
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Source: Gizmodo
Refreshed Apple TV and Updated HomePod Mini Complete the Lineup
The new Apple TV 4K maintains the current form factor but replaces the aging A15 chip with an A17 Pro or better, enabling it to run Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features
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. The current set-top box supports no Apple Intelligence features at all, making the chip upgrade essential for the broader strategy. The device is also expected to gain more RAM and Apple's N1 networking chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support2
. The HomePod Mini refresh is more conservative, featuring a faster chip with upgraded processors, an improved ultra-wideband chip, and new colors, but no new form factor2
. Both devices will reportedly cost $199 and $129 respectively3
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Source: Macworld
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Why Siri AI Held Everything Back
Apple did not have a hardware problem—it had a software one. The company finally shipped its AI overhaul at WWDC in June, unveiling Siri AI as a standalone app with personal context, multi-step commands across apps, and a three-tier privacy architecture
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. The rebuilt Siri AI assistant runs on a custom Gemini model powered by a large language model of roughly 1.2 trillion parameters, licensed from Google in a deal reported at around $1 billion a year, with simple tasks staying on-device2
. This represents a significant shift from an old-style phone assistant to a modern multi-device LLM-based AI chatbot4
.However, complications remain for European buyers. Siri AI will not be available on iPhone or iPad in the European Union when iOS 27 ships, and Apple has given no timeline for availability
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. This leaves European customers facing new smart home devices whose central selling point is an assistant they cannot yet use.Launch Timeline and Future Plans
The refreshed Apple TV and updated HomePod Mini could arrive as soon as September, potentially alongside the rumored iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Ultra
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. The smart home hub may launch later, with a window between October 2025 and early next year1
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.Apple's smart home roadmap extends beyond these initial products. The company is reportedly developing a higher-end version of the hub with a 9-inch screen mounted on a robotic arm that can turn and move during FaceTime calls
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. Additionally, Apple is designing its own home security camera system to compete with Amazon's Ring lineup, potentially launching this year as iOS 27 brings 4K recording, AI summaries, and cross-camera event stitching to HomeKit Secure Video2
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