Having largely stayed out of the smart-home space until now, Apple today jumped in with both feet, unveiling the Apple HomeView, its first smart display — introduced alongside the Apple HomePod mini 2, a new Apple TV 4K, and a range of smart-home devices — including a video doorbell — produced by partner brands LG and Schneider Electric.
The Apple HomeView is a modern, cute 7-inch Liquid Retina display and smart-home hub that enables you to use the touchscreen or Siri AI voice commands, to control connected devices, play music, check the weather and more.
There are two models: a version with the display sitting atop a speaker unit (shown at the top of the page), to which it's attached by an adjustable arm that enables you to tilt and rotate the display; and a screen-only model that's designed to be wall-mounted.
The HomeView starts at $299 in the US, £299 in the UK, and AU$449 in Australia, with preorders opening today (October 13) ahead of a November 13 on-sale date.
It comes in familiar Apple colors: Silver, Starlight, Rose Pink, and Space Gray. That price is actually more competitive than I expected, given that rumors had pointed to a price around $350.
While $299 is still $100 more than the Echo Show 8, Apple is clearly pitching the HomeView as its alternative to Amazon's devices — and if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, there are some compelling reasons to consider it.
As for the hardware, you get a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, a 12MP Ultra Wide Center Stage camera, a four-microphone array, and a multi-driver speaker system in the model with the speaker unit.
Source link







