Apple CEO John Ternus greets customers at the opening of the Apple store on Fifth Avenue for the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
The company is set to enter the smart home category on October 13 with its first-ever smart display, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It is still unclear whether October 13 is an announcement or a sales date.
The device, code-named J490 inside Apple and widely referred to as the “HomePad,” will arrive alongside a refreshed HomePod mini and a new Apple TV 4K. Apple Stores have reportedly received boxes marked “Do Not Open Until October 8,” pointing to new in-store displays. Apple’s next big launch is not an iPhone. Apple has not commented, and pricing, including for India, is yet to surface. There is no battery, so it stays plugged in over USB-C, and there are no volume or power buttons. A single front-facing camera handles FaceTime calls and recognition. It comes in Apple’s standard grey aluminium finish with a rubberised bottom to keep it steady on a table. A wall-mounted version swaps the round base for a thin square one that sits flat below the screen and houses the speakers and microphones. Apple is also developing a larger model with the display on a robotic arm.
Siri AI is why Apple’s home hub took this long to arrive
Apple had planned a home display as early as 2024 but held it back until Siri could carry the product. The Apple TV 4K, last refreshed in 2022, follows the same playbook with an unchanged exterior and a quicker chip. Leaked data also points to Apple’s N1 wireless chip with Wi-Fi 7 support and a revised Siri Remote.
Personalisation is the big draw. Using its camera and microphones, the hub identifies who is standing in front of it or speaking, then pulls up that person’s messages, calendar, notes and preferred widgets. When someone else walks up, the screen switches over, and a visitor mode hides personal data from guests. Users will be able to ask it to find a song someone shared weeks ago, pull up a specific photo, or complete tasks inside Notes and Calendar.