San Francisco (GNP): Apple has unveiled HomeView, a $299 voice-driven tablet that is the first major product launched under new Chief Executive John Ternus. The announcement came on Tuesday and marks the company’s biggest smart home bet in years.
Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook on September 1, introduced the device at Apple’s “Welcome Home” event in New York. The launch signals a shift in strategy, as Apple looks beyond the iPhone to win a permanent place in the living room.
HomeView pairs a square seven-inch touchscreen with a speaker base, and it can sit on a kitchen counter or hang on a wall. Pre-orders opened on Tuesday, with availability in the United States (US) from November 13.
The device will not be sold in the European Union (EU) for now. Apple is working to make its overhauled Siri artificial intelligence (AI) comply with European competition rules.
Apple describes HomeView as a family command centre. It controls lights, door locks, thermostats and security cameras by voice and touch, handles FaceTime calls, plays music and video, and works as a digital photo frame when idle.
The wider ecosystem was also on show. Apple confirmed an updated Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2, alongside new smart home accessories developed with South Korea’s LG and France’s Schneider Electric. The range covers smart door locks, thermostats, and indoor and outdoor cameras, rolling out in December.
The launch matters because Apple has struggled in the home. Its HomePod speakers have long trailed Amazon Alexa and Google Nest, and 2025 data from International Data Corporation (IDC) put Apple at only 5.2 per cent of the smart speaker market, against 40.9 per cent for Amazon and 29 per cent for Google.
The smart display market has also been shrinking, with an estimated value of $2.3 billion in 2025, down from $2.5 billion in 2023. Analysts still see an opening for Apple in that gap.
The centrepiece of its attempt is the new Siri AI, powered by Apple Intelligence. Apple describes it as far more conversational than the original Siri. It can recognise up to six household members by face and show personalised information while keeping private content separate.
With a compatible iPhone or iPad, it can also draw context from messages and calendars to complete tasks. The system is built in part on Google’s Gemini models, a rare public acknowledgement of outside AI technology as Apple races to catch up in generative AI.
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Apple also stressed privacy as a point of difference, citing on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute for personal data, plus end-to-end encrypted video for compatible cameras. Its pitch is pointed, as Amazon’s Echo Show shows non-dismissible ads, while Google’s Nest Hub has not been updated since 2021.
Investors reacted quickly. Apple shares rose on Tuesday, briefly lifting its market capitalisation above $5 trillion before closing just below that mark.
The home business remains a small part of Apple’s revenue. Its Wearables, Home and Accessories division reported $7.88 billion for the fiscal third quarter ended June 27, up 6 per cent year on year. With AI rivals such as OpenAI now eyeing home hardware, Apple needs a foothold.
For Ternus, HomeView is an early test. It is not a flagship iPhone, but it will show whether he can revive a stalled category and pull more households deeper into the Apple ecosystem.
Elizabeth Parks of Parks Associates said, “Apple is late to this segment, but its loyal customers put it in a unique position.”
