Apple debuts HomeView hub as it reinvents smart home strategy

Apple (AAPL) is reinventing its smart home strategy with its new HomeView hub, the HomePod Mini 2, and Apple TV 4K.

Sporting a seven-inch Liquid Retina Display, the HomeView is designed to sit on a counter in its built-in speaker mount or be mounted to a wall. The $299 HomeView is designed to serve as the home base for your smart home and goes on sale Nov. 13.

According to Apple, HomeView can recognize up to six household users via facial recognition and serve up their specific apps, notifications, and more. It can also play music and podcasts, make FaceTime calls, or look up quick video recipes in the kitchen.

Users can control smart home devices ranging from lights and locks to thermostats and more, check their calendars, and interact with Siri AI to do things like find their keys via AirTags.

Apple has dipped its toes into the smart home space over the years, including with the original HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV, as well as software like its Home app, but has never offered a full-fledged hub like the HomeView before.

Read more: 'I'm going to keep winning by innovating': Ring founder Jamie Siminoff isn't sweating Apple's smart home push

Apple

Apple ceded much of the smart home space to rivals Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Amazon (AMZN), which sell their Google Home and Amazon Alexa hardware lines. But the HomeView could change that.

There are a number of do-it-yourself smart home options that allow users to set up a control center for their devices by mounting iPads on them. But the HomeView should provide a far easier, more cohesive offering for everyday consumers.

Apple is also launching a new line of accessories built in collaboration with LG Electronics (066570.KS) and Schneider. Called Apple Home Collection, the devices include a new LG in-home camera that can monitor your home and then turn the camera to face down when you enter the house for privacy.

An outdoor camera can monitor deliveries and remember familiar faces. An LG door camera and lock can recognize your iPhone as you approach and quickly let you inside.

Setting up the devices is as straightforward as connecting a pair of AirPods. Apple is marketing the Home Collection to individuals seeking products that easily integrate with the company's ecosystem and offer robust privacy features.

The HomeView will be a major test for newly minted CEO John Ternus, who took over the top spot from Tim Cook on Sept. 1 and is reportedly angling to focus more on hardware and design.

In addition to the HomeView, Apple also unveiled the $149 HomePod mini 2. Complete with new colors and Siri AI integration, the HomePod mini 2 allows you to do things like add events to your family calendar and ask about broad world knowledge.

The $299 Apple TV 4K sports a more powerful processor and built-in far-field microphones that let you speak directly to the set-top box instead of holding down the remote's microphone button.

You can also ask the Apple TV 4K where the remote is, and it will play a sound to help you find it if it slips between the couch cushions. Preorders for the new Apple TV start today, and it goes on sale Nov. 13.

Yahoo Finance

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This article originally appeared on Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/article/apple-debuts-homeview-hub-as-it-reinvents-smart-home-strategy-131744984.html