Mark your calendar, with a pencil. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to unveil three smart home products on Tuesday, October 13: an all-new smart home hub, the first new HomePod mini since 2020, and the first new Apple TV since 2022. If it happens, it would be Apple’s first coordinated smart home push ever, and one of the first major category moves under new CEO John Ternus.
Apple has not confirmed any of it. Gurman cites people familiar with the plans, and Apple declined to comment. Here is what the reporting actually says, device by device, and which parts have independent backing.
The smart home hub: Apple’s long-delayed answer to the Echo Show
The centerpiece is an all-new device, code-named J490, that the rumor community has taken to calling the HomePad. The reported shape: a square display of roughly 6 to 7 inches on a tilting arm above a round speaker base, a silhouette some outlets compare to the 2002 iMac G4. A wall-mounted version is also planned, and the hub is said to have no battery, drawing power over USB-C.
It is meant to be the household control point: managing HomeKit accessories, handling FaceTime and intercom calls, showing photos and calendars, playing music, and running a new operating system, possibly called homeOS, built around Siri AI. Voice or facial recognition is supposed to identify who is standing in front of it and show that person’s messages, calendar, and app layout, with a guest mode that hides personal data.
Two caveats. First, unlike the other two products below, none of this has backing from Apple’s own files. Second, Apple is reportedly also working on a higher-end hub with a 9-inch display on a robotic arm, plus a privacy-focused home security camera that detects which room a person is in without recording video. Neither is expected on October 13.
HomePod mini 2: the same speaker, finally modern inside
The HomePod mini has not been updated since its 2020 debut, an eternity in smart speaker years. The current model still runs on Apple’s S5 chip, the processor from the 2019 Apple Watch Series 5. The sequel is expected to keep the same spherical design with a much newer chip, Siri AI support, Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and new pink and green color options.
This one has firmer footing: image files for the new colors were found in Apple’s own software on September 25. Siri AI is the stated reason to upgrade, and the original mini’s aging chip is the reason it needs the new one.
Apple TV 4K (4th generation): more memory, same box
The new Apple TV is expected to look identical to the current model, based on an image file for an unreleased “Apple TV 4K (4th generation)” uncovered on September 25. Inside, the reported upgrades are an A19 or A19 Pro chip, RAM doubling from 8GB to 12GB for Apple Intelligence and Siri AI workloads, Apple’s N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7, and an updated Siri Remote.
Notably, the current Apple TV is not on Siri AI’s supported device list, so the new box would be how the assistant reaches the television. It would be the first new Apple TV hardware since 2022.
Why all three waited for Siri AI
All three products were originally meant to launch in 2024. They slipped because Siri AI, the rebuilt assistant they are all built around, was not ready. Siri AI began rolling out in beta on September 14 in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish due next month, as we covered in our iOS 27.2 beta breakdown.
The strategy case is straightforward. Amazon’s Echo and Ring lineup and Google’s Nest products own the smart home, with deep third-party integrations Apple cannot match overnight. Apple’s counter is privacy: its users trust it with personal data more than they trust Amazon or Google, and a home full of microphones and cameras is exactly where that trust matters. Evercore ISI’s Amit Daryanani argues the launches could deepen ecosystem engagement and show whether Siri AI proves genuinely useful beyond the iPhone. Investors agreed, at least for a day: Apple stock rose 2.2 percent to $336.55 on Wednesday.
What is still unknown
The reporting leaves the basics unanswered: no prices, no on-sale dates, no specific chip for the hub, and no word on whether October 13 brings a produced event video or a quiet round of press releases. The date itself comes only from Gurman’s sources.
October is crowded either way. iPhone Duo pre-orders open October 12 ahead of the October 23 launch, and an OLED iPad mini, M6 MacBook Pro and iMac models, and thinner OLED MacBook Pros are all expected before year end. The smart home push may have to share the spotlight, which is a good problem for Apple to have.
Sources: Bloomberg via MacRumors, PYMNTS, The Apple Post, Barron’s, tech-ish; all reporting dated September 30 to October 1. Apple has not confirmed the October 13 date.
