With the new AI-infused Siri finally in the wild in iOS 27 and Apple’s other newly-launched software updates, we could finally be set for something the company has long tried to bring together – a properly connected Apple Home ecoystem fronted by new smart speakers.
Apple Home has been around for a long time now – since 2016 in fact – and it and its underlying HomeKit framework have been supported by many smart home devices over recent years. But Apple itself has never leapt fully into its own smart home devices; HomePod and HomePod mini have been underbaked due to Siri’s underperformance and while the Apple TV 4K is popular and can act as a Home Hub, it hasn’t been updated since 2022 like the HomePod. The HomePod mini is even older.
A new Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini have been rumoured for what feels like forever, while they might also be joined by a HomeHub smart display. During Apple’s iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro keynote earlier this month, new CEO John Ternus took an approach that would be more at home in a product intro from numerous other companies rather than Apple calling its approach one of the “intelligent personal hub”.
The new Siri-powered devices seem nailed on to launch in the coming weeks after more strong rumors that come via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Expect them in October or November – though the latter is potentially more likely given that the iPhone Duo will be released in late October.
At the end of May, Gurman said that Apple has had both devices finished for a long time, with employees already using them internally at Apple Park. The Apple watcher claimed that Apple was holding back its new home devices until its much-delayed personalised Siri experience was ready to ship. It has now shipped – although is still labelled as a ‘beta’ experience.
Various rumours have suggested that the next Apple TV will use Apple’s A17 Pro chip – the oldest processor in Apple’s lineup capable of supporting Apple Intelligence – along with an N1 networking chip that would add support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The overall design is expected to remain largely unchanged except for the Siri remote, although there’s currently no word on what that might involve or whether the design will actually change. Could there be a dedicated Siri button?
For the HomePod Mini, rumours point to a newer Apple Watch-derived chip, improved sound quality, upgraded Ultra Wideband hardware, and a new red colour option.
As with the previous generations of these devices (thanks to software updates), the new ones will also support the Matter smart home standard for connecting to smart home devices from different brands.
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