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Apple's New Smart Home Lineup: Siri AI Moves In, Starting at $149

Apple's Smart Home Debut: Siri AI Takes Center Stage

Apple isn't content letting Amazon and Google rule the living room anymore. At its "Welcome Home" event, the company unveiled four new products, all tied together by one big idea: a smarter, chattier Siri AI built on Apple Foundation Models. The goal? Make your home feel less like a gadget collection and more like a place that actually knows you.

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HomeView: The $299 Smart Display That Recognizes Your Face

Say hello to Apple's first smart display. The HomeView packs a 7-inch Liquid Retina screen, an arched speaker base, and a stainless steel hinge that lets you tilt it just right. But the real trick is facial recognition—it can remember up to six people and serve up personalized widgets, calendars, and messages. (Private stuff only shows up when your iPhone or iPad is nearby and unlocked. Visitors just get the shared albums.)

At $299, it comes in silver, starlight white, rose pink, and space gray. Pre-orders are live in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and New Zealand, with a November 13 release. Sorry, EU—Siri AI policy issues mean it's not coming there yet.

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HomePod mini (2nd Gen): Small Sphere, Big Sound

Three years since the last update, the HomePod mini is back with the S10 chip and computational audio that tweaks dynamics in real time. Pair four of them with the new Apple TV 4K and you've got a four-channel surround system that calibrates itself. It also doubles as a Mac speaker and a home hub, and it can recognize smoke alarms or announce who's at the door.

At $149 (pink, green, blue, white, midnight black), it ships October 30. One catch: Siri AI won't work at launch—that's coming in a future update.

Apple TV 4K (4th Gen): A19 Chip and Far-Field Mics

The new Apple TV 4K brings Siri AI to the big screen. The A19 chip boosts CPU by up to 50% and doubles GPU performance, plus there's an AV1 decoder. Three far-field microphones let you talk to Siri without grabbing the remote, and results pop up in a small window so they don't block your show. The remote also gets a "Precise Search" feature.

At $299 (or $49.83/month), pre-orders are open now, shipping November 13.

Smart Home Hardware: LG and Schneider Electric Team Up

Apple partnered with LG and Schneider Electric on a line of smart devices that work natively with the Home app. Highlights include LG's Smart Security Camera lineup ($199.95–$399.95) with 2.5K recording and free 10-day iCloud+ history, a Smart Door Lock ($349.95) with ultra-wideband auto-unlock, and smart thermostats and sensors with adaptive temperature control. They roll out starting in December, and Apple retail stores in the US will offer ADT professional installation.

Key Points

  • Apple's "Welcome Home" event introduced four products centered on Siri AI.
  • HomeView smart display ($299) launches November 13 with facial recognition for up to six users.
  • HomePod mini (2nd gen) costs $149, ships October 30, but Siri AI comes later via update.
  • Apple TV 4K (4th gen) gets the A19 chip, far-field mics, and a $299 price tag.
  • LG and Schneider smart home gear (cameras, locks, thermostats) arrives in December.