Apple has presented Home View, a new smart home device with a seven-inch screen and with which it expands its ecosystem of products and reinforces its commitment to artificial intelligence. The company thus adds to its catalog a screen designed to manage the connected devices in a home, facilitate daily tasks and offer a personalized experience to the different members of a family.

The launch marks a new move in Apple’s product innovation strategy, which is exploring formats and categories beyond the usual updates to its devices. After its commitment to the foldable iPhone, the company now brings its hardware development capacity to the home, a market in which it was already present with HomePod, Apple TV and its home automation platform, but for which it had not yet developed a specific smart screen.

This new stage of product innovation coincides with the arrival of John Ternus to the executive management of Apple. The new CEO, until now responsible for Hardware Engineering, brings a career closely linked to the development of devices and the design of new user experiences. His appointment places hardware innovation at the center of the company’s strategy and the expansion of its ecosystem into categories such as the smart home.

A device that recognizes users and personalizes the experience

Home View combines a seven-inch Liquid Retina display, an integrated sound system and a new assistant called Siri AI, developed with Apple Intelligence. The device is conceived as a home control center from which users can manage lighting, air conditioning, security cameras and other connected devices. It also allows you to access calendars, reminders, photos, music and different Apple services.

One of its main features is the ability to facially recognize up to six people and adapt the information that appears on the screen depending on who is using the device. Each user can configure their own apps and widgets, while certain content, such as shared photo albums, remains accessible to the entire family.
Apple thus moves personalization, one of the central elements of its user experience, to a shared environment. Compared to the individual character of the iPhone, the Apple Watch or the Mac, the new device is designed to be integrated into the common spaces of a home and facilitate its use by several people.

But the company has paid special attention to privacy. Personal content is only displayed when the device recognizes the user and detects that their linked iPhone or iPad is present and has recently been unlocked.

Siri AI is another of the central elements of the launch. The new version of the assistant allows you to have more natural conversations, answer questions on a wide variety of topics and understand what appears on the screen. When HomeView is paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, it can also use information from your calendar, messages, and other apps to provide personalized responses.

With this launch, Apple reinforces its position in a market in which Amazon and Google have been developing smart displays, voice assistants and home automation solutions for years. The company already had a relevant presence in home entertainment through Apple TV and Home Pod, in addition to its Apple Home platform for managing connected devices. However, the incorporation of a specific screen allows you to offer a more complete and accessible experience for all members of a family.

Home View also allows you to make video calls using FaceTime, view recipes with step-by-step instructions, locate personal devices and access content from Apple Music, Apple TV and other compatible applications. Its interface adapts the information to the distance at which the user is, showing simpler data when they are far away and greater detail when they are closer.

In terms of home automation, it can simultaneously display up to nine security cameras, recognize people, pets and packages using compatible cameras and alert when it detects the sound of smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.
In addition, Apple has presented Home Collection, a new range of cameras, thermostats and a smart lock developed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, which expands its offering of home products.

Home View will not initially arrive in Spain

Home View will be marketed in two versions, a desktop version with a speaker base and another to be installed on the wall. The tabletop model will be available in four colors: silver, star white, pink and space gray.
Apple has set the price of the Home View at $299 for both the desktop and wall versions. Pre-orders begin this October 13 and the first devices will be available on November 13 in markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand.

The company has confirmed, however, that Home View will not initially be marketed in the European Union, because Siri AI is not yet available on iOS in this territory. Apple assures that it continues working with the European authorities to find a solution, but this limitation leaves the Spanish market out of the launch for now, despite being one of the company’s main product innovations.