Apple's 'Welcome Home' event in New York is set for Tuesday, October 13 at 9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m.

BST, and Tom's Guide reports that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has now corroborated months of rumors just a day early. The centerpiece is an all-new product called the HomeView, which Gurman says will 'close the biggest hole in Apple's ecosystem' by essentially fusing an iPad with a HomePod.

It joins refreshed Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini hardware, making this Apple's first-ever dedicated smart home event, as The Verge notes — and its first dedicated Apple Home hardware since the HomeKit platform launched in 2014.

Tom's Guide reports the HomeView will run on an A18 chip paired with the same 8GB of RAM first seen in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, using Siri AI for voice control. It comes in a free-standing tabletop version and a wall-mounted version that packs the speaker into a flat, square wall plate.

Colors are Gray, Silver, Starlight and Rose, though the wall-mounted model is limited to Gray and Silver. PCMag adds that the countertop model has a metal speaker base, and says earlier reports pointed to a square display with built-in facial recognition.

Despite being built on HomePod's shoulders, Tom's Guide says it will reportedly sound better than Apple's smart speaker.

The most unusual spec is a software restriction: Tom's Guide reports the HomeView will arrive with first-party Apple apps on board but no App Store for third-party options — a striking choice for a device meant to be the control center of your smart home.

It also won't be on shelves tomorrow: Gurman pegs the launch at mid-November, consistent with CNET's report that the device ships to consumers in November.

Meanwhile, Apple has partnered with other brands — Tom's Guide says companion accessories like a smart doorbell, thermostat, deadbolt lock, security lights and a floodlight camera are in production but won't ship until later this year at the earliest.

The current Apple TV 4K is nearly four years old, and the HomePod mini is six — The Verge notes it launched October 13, 2020, six years to the day before this event.

Tom's Guide reports the new set-top box will jump from the A15 Bionic to an A17 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM, plus an N1 chip, Apple Intelligence and Siri AI support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and possibly a revamped Siri Remote.

PCMag and CNET, citing Gurman, describe the Apple TV chip as an A19 instead — the reports differ, so both values stand attributed.

The HomePod mini 2 gets the S10 chip from the Apple Watch Series 10, a big upgrade over the current S5, with Tom's Guide reporting new Green, Pink, Blue, White and Midnight colors.

The Verge argues the real shift is software: the HomeView reportedly launches with a brand-new homeOS built around Siri AI, which until now had been missing from HomePods and the Apple TV, leaving the old, basic Siri in place.

Apple is the last of the big three to bring generative AI to its home assistant — Amazon's Alexa Plus launched in 2025 and Google's Gemini for Home remains in early access.

The Verge contends that success in the smart home depends far more on software than hardware, and Apple's rebuilt HomeKit architecture and Matter support give it a cleaner foundation, though the Home app still lacks conditional automations and device types like fridges and EV chargers.

The Verge reports a rumored $350 price for the smart display, and questions whether buyers will pay it, noting that Amazon and Google have struggled to keep the smart display category anything more than a digital photo frame.

HiddenWires flags the integration angle: whether the new hardware supports Matter and Thread devices and plays nicely with professional control platforms will matter more than the spec sheet, especially for EMEA availability.

Pricing is another open question — Tom's Guide notes it's unclear whether the new Apple TV 4K stays at $199 after its earlier hike from $129, and hopes Apple holds the HomePod mini price steady. Everything gets confirmed — or corrected — tomorrow morning in New York.