Apple has officially announced its smart home launch event, where it will debut the "screen-equipped central control hub" for the first time, with Siri taking full control of all devices across the entire smart home.

Today, Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, posted a teaser video on X, confirming that Apple will hold a special event themed "Welcome home" on October 13, where multiple new smart home products are expected to make their debut. 

▲ Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing of Apple officially announces the new smart home product launch event (Source: X)

This event will mark the first major move on the smart home product line after John Ternus, Apple's new CEO, takes office. 

Marques Brownlee, a tech video blogger, also publicly shared the invitation he received. This "Apple Experience" event will be held in Tribeca, New York, at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on October 13, which is 9 p.m. Beijing Time on October 13. 

▲ Tech video blogger publicly shows the event invitation he received (Source: X)

According to previous reports, Apple plans to launch the brand-new screen-equipped smart home hub HomePad, the new smart speaker HomePod mini and the new set-top box Apple TV 4K on October 13, and these three products are expected to support the new version of Siri AI. 

Among them, the screen-equipped home hub temporarily called "HomePad" by the public is a brand-new product in Apple's smart home product line. It is expected to be equipped with a touch screen of about 6 inches, which can be placed on a desktop or mounted on a wall, supports functions including home device control, video call and music playback, and can identify different family members to display personalized content. 

▲ Concept map of HomePad (Source: 9To5Mac)

Mark Gurman also revealed that Apple is co-developing smart locks, video doorbells, thermostats, cameras and other home accessories with LG, the South Korean consumer electronics giant. These products are expected to be launched under the LG brand and work in coordination with Apple's new home devices, but their official release on the market may still take several months. 

Apple's new product launches this month may not end with this event. According to reports from Mark Gurman, MacRumors and other media, Apple may launch the OLED version of iPad mini, the first MacBook Pro with an OLED touch screen, as well as the iMac with M6 chip and the 14-inch MacBook Pro around October 27. 

01. A screen-equipped home hub is expected to debut, capable of identifying different family members

The most anticipated new product at this event is the smart home hub temporarily called "HomePad" by the public. 

According to Mark Gurman's report, this device will adopt a roughly 6-inch square screen, with two versions for desktop use and wall mounting. The desktop version is connected to a round base through a metal arm, and the screen angle can be adjusted manually, with a design similar to Apple's early iMac G4. The device needs to be connected to power continuously for use, with a camera on the front, and speakers and microphones integrated in the base. 

It is expected to support smart home control, FaceTime video calls, music playback, photo display, as well as calendar and reminder checking. In kitchen scenarios, users can also query recipes via voice. 

For the scenario where multiple family members share the device, Mark Gurman stated that the device can identify the user through voice or facial recognition, display corresponding personal content, and provide a guest mode that hides private information. If the recognition fails, users can use their iPhone for auxiliary verification. 

02. HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to get chip upgrades and support the new version of Siri

According to multiple sources, alongside the home hub, the HomePod mini 2 and the 4th-generation Apple TV 4K may also make their debut. The two devices are expected to retain their existing appearance, and support Siri AI through a faster chip; the HomePod mini may also add new color options such as pink and green. 

Mark Gurman said that several smart home devices were originally planned to be launched in 2024, and the release delay was related to the wait for the new version of Siri. The larger-sized HomePod is expected to be updated at a later time. 

In addition, according to MacRumors' prediction, the new HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K may be equipped with Apple's N1 wireless network chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. The Apple TV may also have increased memory and an upgraded processor. 

03. Apple is exposed to co-develop door locks, doorbells and cameras with LG

In addition to the three devices mentioned above, Mark Gurman revealed on October 6 that Apple is co-developing a series of smart home accessories with LG Electronics, including video doorbells, smart locks, thermostats, temperature sensors, as well as indoor, outdoor and floodlight cameras. 

Citing people familiar with the matter, Mark Gurman said that these accessories will use the LG brand, with LG responsible for manufacturing and after-sales support, and they will work in coordination with Apple's upcoming home devices. 

Some products have appeared in regulatory filing documents, including LG's wired video doorbell, LG floodlight camera, LG plug-in outdoor camera, LG plug-in indoor camera, LG smart deadbolt lock, LG smart thermostat and LG temperature sensor. LG has applied to keep the product photos and more detailed information confidential until early next year. The aforementioned filing documents do not mention Apple's involvement. 

▲ Structural diagram of smart lock (Source: Federal Communications Commission of the United States)

These accessories may be announced in the near future, but it will still take some time for their official market launch. Mark Gurman said that the development progress of LG's accessories lags behind Apple's own devices, and it is expected to take at least several months before they are delivered to consumers. 

04. Conclusion: The collaboration of home devices and the new version of Siri become the main highlights

If the above revelations come true, Apple will update its screen-equipped home hub, smart speaker and TV devices at the same time, and supplement accessories such as door locks, doorbells and cameras through cooperation with LG. 

At present, the official has announced the event theme and date, and the specific products are yet to be revealed. In addition to hardware parameters, what capabilities of the new version of Siri can be launched along with the devices, and how different home products can collaborate with each other, will be the key points worthy of attention at this event. 

This article is from the WeChat public account "Zhidx (ID: zhidxc om)", written by Yang Jingli, republished by 36Kr with authorization.