Apple announces 'Welcome Home' event for Oct. 13 — HomePad and all the new products to expect

(Image credit: Apple) About a month after it announced the iPhone Duo, Apple is holding yet another event, but this time around, it looks to be aimed at the smart home. The event, which will take place in New York on October 13th at 9 a.m. ET, is titled "Welcome Home."Bbased on the rumors we've been hearing, the event will be centered around the company's new smart home device, which could be called the HomePad. Apple sent around invites, and also posted a somewhat cryptic announcement on X, which shows two people doing a needlepoint of the old-school Apple logo.What we expect to see at the Apple October event (Image credit: AppleTrack)As noted, we expect that the Apple HomePad, or whatever it will be called, will be the highlight of the event. This new smart home hub/tablet is likely to have a new interface similar to the Apple Watch, and will be able to customize what it displays based on who's in the room.It should also feature the new-and-improved Siri, to better handle requests, a la Alexa+ and Gemini can with the best smart speakers and displays from Amazon and Google. It's been speculated that the HomePad, which was rumored to come out at least a year ago, has been delayed until Apple could get Siri right.Also rumored to make an appearance at the event could be a new HomePod smart speaker, as well as a new Apple TV device; it's been several years since either has been refreshed. (Image credit: pdfu)As part of its renewed push into the smart home, we could also see a series of new smart home devices that Apple is developing in conjunction with LG. Just recently, a number of images leaked showing several smart home devices, including a video doorbell, smart thermostat, and smart lock made by the Korean company, which would purportedly work with Apple's ecosystem. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Sign up to the Tom's AI Guide weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editors and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!More from Tom's Guide7 Apple products expected to be announced in October — touchscreen MacBook Ultra, HomePad and moreApple HomePad rumored release date, price and all the latest leaks Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.