Apple this week announced the HomePod mini 2, a new Apple TV 4K, and its HomeView smart home hub. On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, the team talks through its reactions to the announcements.
Apple's HomeView costs $299 and combines a 7-inch square display with Siri AI, FaceTime, music playback, and smart home controls. It has received a mixed reception from YouTubers and the wider Apple community, with some criticism centering on what it adds for someone who already owns an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod. A screen for timers, photos, music, and home controls will be useful for many, but it is harder to explain why someone wearing an Apple Watch would reach across a kitchen counter to set a timer, or why they would type a message on HomeView instead of taking out their iPhone.
The design has appealing details. The display can show photos and customizable faces, dim to just 0.3 nits in the dark, and adjust its interface as someone approaches. In the kitchen, guided recipes turn webpages into step-by-step instructions, with voice-controlled timers available while cooking. HomeView makes the most sense as a replacement for an Echo Show or Nest Hub, particularly for anyone tired of poor ecosystem integration and ads on their smart display.
HomeView recognizes up to six people and switches to their apps and personal information. Personal content normally appears only when the user is recognized and their paired device is nearby and recently unlocked. Siri AI can answer general questions without an Apple Intelligence-compatible device, but personal requests still require one. There is no App Store, either; compatible third-party audio and video apps appear through a connected iPhone or iPad using a CarPlay-like system. The wall-mounted version costs the same $299 despite losing the tabletop model's speaker base, woofer, and passive radiators, and mounts start at $59.95.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing