30 September,2026 09:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
Apple plans to make its long-delayed push into the smart-home market on October 13, as per the reports. With the introduction of their latest smart home in September, Apple will mark a critical product expansion for the company under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus.
At the center of the strategy is a smart-home hub code-named J490, according to people familiar with the matter. As per the media report, the US tech giant also plans to announce the first update to the HomePod mini since that device's 2020 debut and its first new TV set-top box since 2022.
The company believes that the smart home is a lucrative opportunity - one of Apple's famous "next big things" - but the tech giant has previously struggled to make much of a dent in the category, trailing behind Amazon and Google.
As per the report from Bloomberg, the home hub will take the form of a roughly 6-inch square display, with versions that can be mounted on a wall or placed on a countertop, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the products haven't been announced.
The new HomePod mini will also come in fresh colors, including green and pink. Apple aims to eventually update its larger HomePod speaker as well. However, a spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple, declined to comment while talking to Bloomberg.
The hub's defining feature will be its ability to serve multiple members of a household. It is designed to recognize who is speaking to it or approaching it and then display personalized content and provide answers based on that person's data and accounts.
When a user walks up, for example, the device will show that person's contacts, messages, calendar appointments, notes and preferred app layout. The interface can then change automatically when another recognized household member approaches. It will also have a mode for visitors that hides personal information, as per Bloomberg.
The device identifies users by their voices or through a facial-recognition system, though the latter is less reliable than Face ID on the iPhone.
Users can require secondary authentication through an iPhone if they don't want to rely solely on voice or facial recognition. The iPhone also serves as a fallback when the hub cannot identify someone correctly.
As per Bloomberg, the company also sees the device as a communications and information hub for the kitchen, where users could look up recipes with their voice, watch videos, or make FaceTime calls while preparing food.
Because the device is intended to remain stationary, it has a single FaceTime camera on the front and no rear camera. The product has microphones and speakers in its connected base.
The product comes in Apple's standard gray aluminum finish and includes a USB-C port for power. The screen sits above a metal, round base with multiple rings of perforated speaker holes and connects to it through a polished metal arm. Users can manually tilt the display forward or backward. And the base has a rubberized bottom to help it stay on a table.
The interface is built heavily around photo slideshows and clock displays, similar to the new StandBy Mode on the upcoming iPhone Duo foldable phone. One clock resembles a lava lamp with an overlay of the time that shows the hour in digital form with minutes listed below. Users can then swipe up from the clock screen or photos to open the app launcher.
Apple is including many of its most frequently used apps, including Calendar, Messages, Photos, FaceTime, Notes, Reminders, Music, and Podcasts. Users can choose a wallpaper and rearrange apps and widgets by pressing and holding them, much as they would on an iPhone.
Individual apps also borrow from the iPad. Messages, for example, uses a two-panel layout. When users touch a thread in their list of conversations, a second pane opens up to show the conversation. That interface carries over to many of the other preinstalled apps.
Alongside the hardware, Apple is developing a broader smart-home ecosystem that expands on HomeKit software and supports new categories of connected products. The company is working with third-party manufacturers on new devices designed for the Siri AI home platform.
