Apple officially released HomeView on Tuesday. This device features a 7-inch display and supports both desktop placement and wall mounting, targeting multi-member family use. It relies on facial recognition to deliver corresponding personal information to the users. The product's starting price is $299, with shipments beginning on November 13th.
This is the second new product launch event hosted by the new CEO John Ternus since he took over from Tim Cook in September. Last month, Apple released new models of its most important product line iPhone, which included foldable screen phones iPhone and Duo priced at nearly $2,000 each.
On Tuesday, Apple also launched new versions of Apple TV 4K and HomePod hardware. The new generation of Apple TV 4K is priced at $299, comes with a redesigned remote control that emits a beeping sound to help locate it if lost. The newly colored versions of HomePod and mini are priced at $149, which is a slight increase from the previous price of $129.
Compared to iPhone, the significance of these accessory products released on Tuesday to Apple's performance is even lower, and investors' focus remains on the sales performance of iPhone. However, at the press conference, Apple positioned these accessories as a means to showcase the capabilities of the newly launched Siri AI last month.
HomeView is equipped with Siri AI and is capable of answering various questions; users can engage in continuous conversations with Siri, and the conversation records can be seamlessly continued on iPhone and iPad devices as well; the built-in speaker on the device can play music.
Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Apple, stated in a statement: "It switches from the family's shared screen to a personalized interface dedicated to you by recognizing your face; it delivers stunning sound effects throughout the house, and helps you maintain important interpersonal connections through FaceTime, while also making smart home control simple and convenient."
Relying on Apple Intelligence, HomeView can identify the user's identity and display personal content such as information, photos, calendar, and reminders from App; it can also make calls via FaceTime and function as an electronic photo frame. The device is equipped with a A18 chip and supports up to six users.
The Apple TV, HomePod series, as well as the HomeView are all categorized under Apple's "Wearables, Home, and Accessories" business segment. In the latest quarter ending June, this segment generated revenue of $7.88 billion, accounting for approximately 7% of Apple's total revenue. The AirPods headphones and Apple Watch watches also fall under this same business line.
Although Apple has also been involved in home hardware and platforms in the past, this press release indicates that under Tim Cook's leadership, the smart home business has been elevated to a higher strategic priority.
Apple stated that products such as HomeView can serve as the hub of smart home systems, coordinating notifications from household devices and automating commands. They are also compatible with a variety of third-party accessories including LG electronics, as well as new door locks, doorbells, cameras, and more launched by Schneider Electric.
Apple's layout of smart home products is not just about pursuing hardware sales revenue; it also helps to further lock users within the Apple ecosystem. At the same time, consumers who use multiple Apple devices are less likely to switch to Android phones.
HomeView can also be used as a smart home control panel to view real-time camera footage, adjust the thermostat, and remotely lock or unlock the smart door locks in your home. When configuring new smart home accessories, users only need to tap with iPhone to complete the pairing process.
This new product release reflects Apple's confidence in expanding into entirely new categories of hardware. However, the broader consumer electronics industry is facing price increases due to shortages of memory and storage chips, and market demand has also weakened. At the same time, the new CEO Ternus is driving company reforms, calling for faster product iteration and more streamlined organizational operations.
The new version of Apple TV 4K has had its price increased from the previous $199 to $299. Earlier this year, Apple also experienced a round of price hikes for its products, during which Cook stated that the cost of storage chips had reached an unaffordable level.
