What to expect at Apple's 'Welcome home' event tomorrow

NineFortyOne Staff

— 3 min read
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What to expect at Apple's 'Welcome home' event tomorrow
Apple's event invite brings back the warm, cozy feeling with a knit Apple rainbow logo. Source: Apple

It is going to be a doozy.

Apple officially announced a few days ago that it will be holding a press-focused event with tagline: "Welcome home." The video shared by Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Greg "Joz" Joswiak, shows a crochet-knit Apple logo with this tagline, suggesting that the event will focus on the smart home.

This lines up with rumors shared recently that Apple has been gearing up to finally release new HomePod mini 2 models, a brand new Apple TV 4K, and the long-awaited smart home hub device, which new information points to being called "HomeView" instead of HomePad. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman explained that Apple is siding with HomeView because the device is meant to be interacted with more hands-free, viewing it and talking to it instead of tapping it. This makes sense, as it is supposed to be a hub for your smart home and Siri, as opposed to an iPad shared with your home.

The reason that Apple has waited so long to announce all of these smart home devices is because they have been waiting for Siri AI to finally come out to the public for the software to be ready. The main reason that, specifically HomeView, needs Siri AI is because it just feels like an empty upgrade if not. Apple TV has not had a meaningfully compelling update in years, and Siri AI, combined with the right hardware, may make Apple's smart home feel more intelligent.

Apple's HomePod mini. Source: Apple

HomePod mini is finally getting a real upgrade, as it has not been changed internally since its original release in 2o20. HomePod mini 2 is expected to use the S10 chip, a substantial upgrade from the S5 chip in the original HomePod mini. Since the S10 chip actually has a Neural Engine baked inside, HomePod mini 2 will actually have real Siri AI capabilities, and it should be a great upgrade to the HomePod mini line.

Other than the chip update, the main other rumored change is new colors. The colors are expected to be more muted than last time:

  • Pink
  • White
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Black

Apple TV 4K is also expected to get a big leap, going from the A15 chip to either A19 or possibly A19 Pro. This is a major upgrade, as the Neural Engine is massively upgraded, but it also jumps from 4GB to 8-12GB of RAM for processing Siri AI locally. There are also hopeful, but still possible, rumors that Apple TV 4K will get HDMI 2.1 (and in turn, 4K 120Hz support), but I wouldn't hold my breath. Other software references point to a possible 4 HomePod surround sound system for Apple TV 4K, which would be a step up.

Apple HomeView is the big product for this event, with rumors circulating for quite some time, starting way back around 2023. It is set to have a 6-inch square screen and will have the option to be wall-mounted, or tabletop. The operating system is said to be a custom OS, similar to tvOS, dubbed homeOS. Recent rumors point to it having no App Store and instead a limited number of baked-in apps.

Because the device is not meant to be interacted with through touch as much as it is through voice, Apple may not include the App Store because they don't see a need for it through voice. Siri AI will be the main source for control, so additional apps may not be necessary.

Other than that, recent info points to a possible release in November, despite the announcement being tomorrow.

Apple's Welcome home event looks stacked and has exciting products that we have been waiting for a long time. We will have to wait and see what Apple does soon.

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