Apple Unveils HomeView, Its First Smart Display, at $299; Ships Nov. 13

Apple’s first smart display, HomeView, costs $299 and ships Nov. 13, but its main feature, Siri AI, is still in beta.

At its “Welcome Home” event in New York on Oct. 13, Apple announced HomeView, a hub with a 7-inch screen and a speaker base. Pre-orders are open and it ships Nov. 13. A new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2, and nine smart home accessories made with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric came with it. A smart home hub is the central device that lets you control, check on, and automate the gadgets in your house from one place. Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub already sell in that category.

What was announced

Product	Price	Availability	Highlights
HomeView	$299. Tabletop and wall-mounted models cost the same	Nov. 13	7-inch screen, A18 chip, face recognition that tells up to six people apart
Apple TV 4K (new)	$299, $100 more than the previous model	Nov. 13	A19 chip, Siri AI support, answers appear as an overlay on screen
HomePod mini 2	$149	Oct. 30	S10 chip, top glows in time with the music (“Sound Glow”)
Nine home accessories	Video doorbell $249.95, floodlight camera $399.95, outdoor camera $299.95, indoor camera $199.95, smart deadbolt $349.95, thermostat $199.95, temperature sensor $39.95 (plus a Schneider thermostat at $199.95 and room sensor at $39.95)	December, some in early 2027	All support Thread (a low-power wireless link smart home devices use to talk to each other). Seven LG products, two from Schneider Electric

The wall-mounted HomeView needs a separate power mount: from $59.95 for USB-C, from $79.95 for wired AC, and $129.95 for power over Ethernet (power delivered through the network cable), which arrives in early 2027.

What HomeView is

The screen switches by face. It tells up to six people apart by face and shows that person’s calendar and messages. Personal content appears only when the face is recognized, the paired iPhone or iPad is nearby, and it was unlocked recently.
Camera and microphone data is handled in an isolated area of the device. Apple calls it Secure Exclaves. Siri requests run on the device or go to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute.
One screen controls the home. View up to nine camera feeds at once, and control thermostats, lights, locks, and blinds by touch or voice.
Siri AI is in beta (a testing stage before the full release). It is English only, some server-side features have daily limits, and Apple says expanded use will cost a fee in the future.
Personalized features need an iPhone or iPad. Features that use personal context must be paired with a device that supports Apple Intelligence.

Where you can buy it

In the U.S., HomeView is available to pre-order now at $299 for either model. It also pre-orders in the UK, Canada, Australia, India, and New Zealand, from Oct. 15 in Singapore, and through authorized resellers in South Africa. It is not for sale in the European Union because Siri AI is not yet available there on iOS. Siri AI supports English only for now, with Canadian French promised later.

Details that are easy to get wrong

“The camera recognizes the faces and voices of family members as they approach”: Apple’s announcement describes face recognition only. We could not confirm voice recognition or “switches when someone walks up.” Apple’s page gives no built-in camera specs; one tech outlet reported a 12-megapixel front camera.
“Answers questions about filming locations and actors in real time”: Apple’s release gives “Where was this show filmed?” as an example of a follow-up question. It does not mention actors specifically, and the feature is in beta and English only.
“HomePod mini 2 launches alongside”: it goes on sale Oct. 30, earlier than HomeView and Apple TV, and Siri AI is not included at launch but arrives in “a future software update.”
“Enters a market dominated by Amazon and Google”: that is a media interpretation, not something in Apple’s announcement. This post does not judge it.
“Partnered with LG and Schneider on cameras, thermostats, and doorbells”: true, but of the nine products seven are LG and two are Schneider Electric, and a lock is included.

What could change for developers

The following is estimates and advice based on confirmed facts.

If you build smart home devices, look at Matter and Thread support first. Every Apple accessory supports Thread, and the lock, thermostats, and sensors use Matter. Matter is a shared standard that lets smart home devices from different brands work together, and Thread is the low-power wireless link that connects them. Devices that support both are easier to pair with a hub like HomeView.
If you plan voice assistant features, plan for a later date. Siri AI is in beta and open in eight English-speaking countries only. No schedule has been given for other languages or the EU.
Study the privacy design. Handling face and voice data in an isolated area and showing personal content only after identity checks is a useful benchmark for any shared family screen.
There is no rush to buy. Its main feature is in beta, and support outside the listed countries is unclear.

What to watch

When Siri AI reaches more languages and the EU, what the paid tier costs once the beta ends, real-world reviews after the Nov. 13 launch, and the schedule for the accessories arriving in early 2027.