Apple is launching a new product on October 13: What it is, expected price and its features

Apple's long rumoured push into the smart home is finally said to be arriving. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is preparing to introduce a new smart home hub on October 13, alongside refreshed HomePod mini and Apple TV models.

The device has been talked about for years, slipping from one expected launch window to the next as Apple worked on the new Siri meant to power it. With that software reportedly ready, the hub looks set to finally make its debut, bringing Apple into a category that Amazon and Google have had mostly to themselves.

Apple Smart Home Hub Launch Date

The hub is expected to be unveiled on October 13, the same day Apple reportedly plans to introduce new HomePod mini and Apple TV hardware. The timing lines up with years of delays caused by Apple holding the device back until its next generation Siri was ready.

Apple Smart Home Hub Price (Expected)
Apple has reportedly been targeting a price of around $350 for the hub, a figure that puts it well above rivals like Amazon's Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11, as per MacRumours. Apple's teams have apparently been trying to bring manufacturing costs down, though it is not clear if that effort will lower the final price at launch. At current exchange rates, that would put the hub somewhere close to ₹30,000 if it eventually comes to India, though Apple has not confirmed any pricing for markets outside the US.

Apple Smart Home Hub Design
The countertop version is said to carry a square 6-inch display with a black bezel, rounded corners and an aluminium finish, sitting above a circular speaker base on a polished metal arm. Users will reportedly be able to tilt the screen forward or backward. The look draws comparisons to the old iMac G4, with its round base and arm mounted screen. There is said to be no built-in battery, so the hub will need to stay connected to power through USB-C at all times, and it skips physical power or volume buttons entirely.

Apple Smart Home Hub Wall Mounted Version
Alongside the tabletop model, Apple is reportedly building a wall mounted version carrying the internal code name J491. This version is expected to have a slimmer base sitting beneath the display, still holding the microphones and speakers needed to run the device, letting it fit into rooms where a countertop model would not make sense.

Apple Smart Home Hub Face And Voice Recognition
The hub is designed to recognise who is using it through voice or facial recognition, then adjust what shows up on screen for that person. A visitor mode is expected to hide personal details when someone outside the main household is using it. The facial recognition is said to be less dependable than Face ID on the iPhone, so an iPhone itself could work as a backup way to confirm identity if the hub cannot. A feature called Edge Light is reportedly meant to light up the area around the screen to help the camera recognise faces properly in dim rooms.

Apple Smart Home Hub Features
Beyond controlling connected smart home devices, the hub is expected to handle FaceTime calls, intercom style messages between rooms, music and podcast playback, and photo displays. It is also pitched as a kitchen companion, letting people pull up recipes or play cooking videos using voice commands. Apple reportedly expects buyers to place more than one hub around the house rather than relying on a single unit.

Apple Smart Home Hub Interface
The software is said to borrow design language from Apple Watch, Apple TV and iPad, supporting widgets, wallpapers and apps that users can rearrange on screen. Siri is expected to keep the same dark visual styling seen across Apple's other products. Clock displays and photo slideshows reportedly get particular attention, including one clock design described as resembling a lava lamp with the time shown in digital form and the minutes listed underneath it. Expected apps include Calendar, Messages, Photos, FaceTime, Notes, Reminders, Music and Podcasts, styled with Apple Watch like icons and iPad style multi panel layouts.

Inputs from TOI