Apple’s ‘Welcome Home’ Event Is Tomorrow — and the Smart Home Is the Star

Apple is holding a ‘Welcome Home’ event tomorrow, October 13, in New York — and for once the iPhone isn’t the headliner. Expect Apple’s long-rumored smart-home push to take center stage, led by its first touchscreen home hub.

The star is reportedly ‘HomeView,’ Apple’s first smart-home hub with a touchscreen display — a direct answer to Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub, but with Apple’s privacy pitch and deep HomeKit integration. Refreshed HomePod mini and Apple TV hardware are expected alongside it.

Timing matters. The smart home has been a rare Apple weak spot: HomeKit adoption lagged, Siri’s revamp already hit EU delays, and rivals spent years colonizing the living room. A hub gives Apple’s smarter Siri — whenever Europe gets it — a physical home base.

It’s also a hedge. With iPhone 18 Pro component orders reportedly cut 15–20% on memory costs, Apple needs growth stories beyond the phone. The home is the next room it hasn’t conquered — tomorrow we find out if it finally has a plan.