Apple’s Long-Rumored Home Hub Smart Display Might Arrive in October

For as long as we’ve been waiting for the Siri AI assistant, we’ve been hearing rumors that Apple has been developing a home hub smart display powered by it. And according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that device is being widely tested and might finally be ready for its debut as soon as next month. Apple’s rumored smart display sounds much like Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub, which is to say it could be used for everything from controlling smart home devices to making video calls and streaming music by invoking Siri AI. According to Gurman’s sources, the display would use Face ID to recognize the person who’s using it. There would also be a version that sits on a stand, and another that can be placed on a wall. Apple’s HomePod speaker line was last refreshed in 2023.Candice Greene/CNET Siri AI’s ability to scan across your iPhone, Mac and other accounts is likely a key part of this rumored display, and Gurman says the display would have its own home screen, widgets and clock faces that look similar to what we’ve seen in Apple’s StandBy mode. There’s a lot of ancillary evidence that a home hub like this has been in the works for a long time. Aside from rumors that have stretched as far back as 2024, Apple hasn’t updated its HomePod speaker line since 2023. Despite being over three years old, its last speaker saw a $50 price increase from $299 to $349 earlier this year due to the ongoing RAM shortage that’s leading to higher prices across the electronics industry. The smaller HomePod Mini also got a price increase from $99 to $129. It would make sense if Apple had been holding off on refreshing its HomePod line in order to debut a new smart display that’s powered by the improved Siri AI. While we’ll have to wait and see if this home hub actually releases next month, we definitely know that Apple’s gearing up for the Oct. 23 launch of the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable phone. Apple’s also launched a number of refreshed products this fall, including new Mac computers powered by the M6 processor alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max phones — all of which support the new Siri AI assistant.