Apple's smart home event is coming

Apple will hold its Welcome Home launch event in New York on October 13th at 9 AM ET, announcing smart home products and a new platform.

A new smart home hub with touchscreen

Apple is releasing a new smart home hub with a six inch square touchscreen that can mount on a wall or sit on a countertop, reportedly called HomeView.

The hub will use facial recognition

The HomeView hub will use voice or facial recognition to identify users and pull up their contacts, calendar appointments and personal data, with optional iPhone verification.

Apple is building homeOS

Apple registered a trademark for homeOS through a shell company called Home Operations Suite LLC. The platform will look like a mashup of iOS, tvOS and watchOS.

“looks like a mashup of iOS, tvOS and watchOS”

homeOS will run smart home controls

homeOS will control thermostats and smart locks, make FaceTime calls, and include Apple Music, Podcasts, News, Reminders, Notes and Siri AI.

HomePod Mini gets its first update

The HomePod Mini will get a new processor to handle Siri AI and come in new colors including green and pink. This is its first update since October 13th, 2020.

Apple TV gets faster and smarter

Apple TV will receive its first hardware refresh since 2022, with a new processor for Siri AI and faster navigation. The remote will have a speaker to help locate it.

Both devices get the N1 chip

HomePod Mini and Apple TV will both feature Apple's N1 chip, which includes support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 6.0.

LG smart home devices coming

LG will debut smart home products including deadbolts and thermostats with NFC based Proximity Control that shows hints on iPhone's Dynamic Island when held near the device.