Apple Plans Smart Home Hub, New Apple TV and HomePod Mini with Siri AI

Apple plans to launch a series of new hardware and software products, centered on an upgraded version of its Siri AI assistant, to reshape its smart home strategy. According to sources, Apple will first release a smart home hub device equipped with a roughly 7-inch square display and facial recognition, capable of dynamically adjusting content based on the user's identity and distance. In addition, Apple plans to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box and an upgraded HomePod Mini. All three products are nearing launch.

The new smart home hub will directly compete with Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub. The device runs a new operating system built on Apple TV's tvOS, incorporating design elements from tvOS, watchOS, and iOS. It supports FaceTime video calls, home security monitoring, multi-device intercom, and smart home controls.

Apple's smart home hub will come in two versions: the internal codename J490 features a screen placed on a hemispherical base, resembling a cut-open HomePod Mini; the other, codename J491, can be mounted on a wall using a magnetic system. Apple envisions users deploying multiple such devices across different rooms to form a unified home interaction network. The new Apple TV and HomePod Mini, with internal codenames J265 and B525 respectively, have similar appearances to current models but feature faster processors to support Siri AI functions. Their prices will rise to US$199 and US$129.

Development of these three products began in 2024. Apple initially planned to launch them alongside a fully revamped Siri, but due to repeated setbacks in the development of the new Siri, it was eventually renamed Siri AI and is scheduled for official release in the fall of 2026 alongside iOS 27 and other new operating systems. As a result, hardware launch dates have been repeatedly delayed, moving from 2024 to spring 2025, then fall 2025, and now spring 2026.

Apple is also planning at least two higher-end smart home devices. One is a robotic version of the home hub with a mechanical arm, featuring a screen enlarged to about 9 inches. The arm can drive the display to automatically follow the user's movement, for example adjusting the camera angle during a FaceTime call to keep the person centered. The other is a high-end indoor security camera with internal codename J450, paired with a home security system, aimed at competing with Amazon's Ring products.