Apple announced HomeView on October 13, opened U.S. preorders that day and scheduled availability to begin November 13. The 7-inch smart-home display comes in tabletop and wall-mounted versions, each priced at $299 in the U.S.; the wall model needs a separately purchased mount and power solution. Apple’s announcement sets out the launch terms and features. NeoTeo covered the earlier reports in its prelaunch article; Apple has since announced the product and its schedule.
A shared screen for home controls and more
Apple describes HomeView as a household display for smart-home controls, communication and entertainment. Its A18 chip powers a 7-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and automatic brightness. Apple says the screen can recognize up to six people and show each a personalized home screen. Setup and multiuser use require a compatible iPhone or iPad running current software.
The display also brings together functions such as FaceTime, Messages, music, recipe steps and hands-free timers. Apple says its Home Camera view can show up to nine live video feeds. Compatible Apple Home or Matter accessories are required and sold separately; intelligent camera recognition and video descriptions require compatible cameras and an eligible iCloud+ plan.
The tabletop and wall models have different hardware
The tabletop model has a domed speaker base and a tilt hinge. The separate wall-mounted model has the same 7-inch display, but not the tabletop base. Apple says the wall version has two custom drivers with audio processing tuned for wall placement.
Both models carry the same announced U.S. device price, but wall mounting adds a separate purchase. Apple lists the Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector from $59.95, bringing the device-plus-mount subtotal to $358.95 ($299 + $59.95). Tom’s Guide reports that the power adapter for that connector is sold separately. Apple also lists the Power Mount AC Wired from $79.95; its Power Mount PoE Wired is priced at $129.95 and scheduled for early 2027. These are mount prices, not a complete powered-installation total.
Siri AI is in beta, with personal requests tied to another device
Siri AI is in beta in HomeView software version 27.2. Apple says general world-knowledge questions, conversational responses and music discovery can work without an Apple Intelligence-enabled companion device. Requests that use personal context have a stricter requirement: a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI turned on, and a supported language.
Apple says Messages and Calendar content appears when HomeView recognizes an enrolled person and their paired device is present and recently unlocked. So the personalized screen is not the whole story: the personal information features also depend on the household member’s device being nearby in that state.
For apps, WIRED reports that HomeView has no dedicated App Store. Apple says the display supports compatible third-party audio and video apps, which is a more limited proposition than a general catalog of iPad apps.
What Marques Brownlee thought of the first version
In his launch-day hands-on review, Marques Brownlee said HomeView’s first offering did not convince him. His video also shows modular clock faces and an app grid on the display. That is Brownlee’s assessment of the announced product, separate from Apple’s feature descriptions.
The use case is the open question for prospective buyers
Individual Reddit commenters raised different tests of HomeView’s value. One said they could not identify a strong use case; another described wanting a kitchen screen for recipes and music. A commenter in the HomeKit discussion objected that the wall version costs the same as the tabletop model while requiring a separate mount. These are personal reactions, not a measure of broader buyer sentiment. (r/apple, r/HomeKit)
