Apple Plans Smart-Home Push With New Hub on October 13

Apple is planning to expand its presence in the smart-home market with a new home hub, code-named J490, expected to be launched on October 13, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is also expected to unveil the first update to its HomePod mini since its 2020 debut and a new Apple TV set-top box, marking the first refresh of the device since 2022. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The upcoming hub is expected to feature a roughly 6-inch square display and can reportedly be mounted on a wall or placed on a countertop. Similar to devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home products, it is expected to recognize individual household members and provide personalized content and responses based on their accounts and data. The move comes as Apple seeks to broaden its smart-home ecosystem while maintaining the iPhone as its core product.

The updated HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to retain their existing designs while receiving faster processors designed to support more powerful AI capabilities in Siri. The launch would come as Apple steps up efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its hardware and software products. John Ternus, who recently became Apple’s CEO after serving as its longtime hardware chief, is expected to place renewed emphasis on engineering, devices and AI integration.

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