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Apple’s HomePod and Apple TV might finally be getting a smart-home sibling in a couple of weeks, and it could look a lot like the company’s friendly iMac G4 design, with a round base and screen mounted on an articulating arm.
In his latest Power On newsletter, which has a track record of accurately reporting internally sourced news, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple plans to announce a new AI-powered smart-home hub on Oct. 13. The device will feature advanced Siri capabilities and use voice and facial recognition to automatically identify different family members.
Alongside the new device, the HomePod mini and Apple TV set-top box are also getting upgrades, with newer processors to handle Siri AI requests and more colors for the small speaker, including pink and green.
According to Gurman, the hub’s prominent feature will be a 6-inch rounded-corner screen with a FaceTime camera that would identify the person addressing it. That person’s preferences will be displayed, including their calendar, notes and apps. When someone else uses it, their information will appear. (It’s unclear whose preferences are displayed when multiple people are huddling around it.) A visitor mode will hide such personal information.
The answers it gives will be personalized to the person making the query. Presumably, that would appear as a new conversation in the Siri app that launched with iOS 27 and the other OS 27 updates for Apple’s products, allowing users to continue the questioning on any other Apple device.
For people with limited countertop space, a wall-mounted version consisting of just the screen component will also reportedly be announced. Both versions require a wall power source, not batteries.
The Apple HomePod Mini may also be getting new features.
Chris Monroe/CNET
An Apple smart home display has been rumored for years, including a model with a robotic arm that can keep the screen positioned toward a person as they move around it. Gurman notes that the halting progress of Siri and Apple Intelligence (which inspired a recent $250 million settlement for those who purchased certain iPhone models) delayed the rollout of the new device.
Although the name HomePad has been bandied about in rumors, Gurman’s report doesn’t give an expected name.
Anyone who’s balanced a phone or iPad in the kitchen while cooking will get the appeal of such a device. Imagine a compact smart screen where you can catch up on news, weather or your social media while making coffee or tea. iPads have migrated to the kitchen since the earliest models, so Apple will need to demonstrate why customers need to buy a new device instead of propping an iPad Mini in its place.
An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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