Apple's front door, built by LG

Apple is expected to introduce a long-delayed smart-home hub, an updated HomePod mini and a new Apple TV 4K on October 13, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported, according to MacRumors. Apple has not confirmed the date or said whether it will hold an event or issue press releases, MacRumors noted.

Separately, Bloomberg reported on October 6 that Apple has co-developed a set of home accessories with LG Electronics: a wired video doorbell, a smart deadbolt lock, a thermostat, a temperature sensor, and indoor, outdoor and floodlight cameras. The devices will carry the LG brand, and LG will handle manufacturing and customer support; Apple shaped their design and features, according to the report. They will not arrive on October 13. MacRumors, citing Bloomberg, said the LG accessories "won't be ready to launch for a few months."

Regulatory filings list the LG products with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and Matter, and the lock includes ultra-wideband for proximity unlocking. Gurman called the co-development arrangement "fairly unusual for Apple." 9to5Mac described it as a way for Apple to expand its ecosystem quickly "without shouldering the full cost" of making and supporting the accessories itself.

The hub

According to Gurman's reporting, summarised by MacRumors, the hub has a square 6-inch display on a polished metal arm that can be tilted by hand above a dome-shaped speaker base, a design reminiscent of the 2002 iMac G4. A wall-mounted version, code-named J491, puts the speakers and microphones in a thin base beneath the screen. The device is built around Apple's Siri AI assistant and is designed to control home devices, make video and intercom calls, play audio and show photos. It recognises household members by voice or face to show personalised content.

The updated HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to keep their current designs and get faster chips to support Siri AI, according to the same reports.

Context

Bloomberg framed the push as a reboot of HomeKit, the platform Apple introduced in 2014, and as a challenge to Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. It would be Apple's first major launch outside the iPhone under John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook as chief executive on September 1. Apple's foldable iPhone Duo opens for pre-orders on October 16 and goes on sale on October 23. Apple will report fiscal fourth-quarter results on November 2.