Just a few days ago, I wrote about how great Apple's advertising has been recently with its focus on human craftmanship. Now, I'm being forced to eat my own words after sitting through the reveal of the company's first new product line since the Vision Pro in early 2024.
After the whimsical delight of the embroidered Apple logo for the Welcome Home event invite, the launch advert for Apple HomeView is stressful viewing.
For those concerned that they don't have enough screens in their lives with only an iMac, MacBook, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple HomeView is finally here. Coming in two formats: tabletop or wall-mountable, it offers another surface on which to check your messages, speak to your AI assistant, control smart devices and watch stuff.
The novelty is that it's designed with a shared experience in mind rather than being geared towards a single user. HomeView can recognise up to six faces and dynamically change its interface depending on who's standing in front of it and how far away they are.
Both models have a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, while the tabletop version combines an adjustable screen with a speaker base (and looks a bit like a G4 iMac, some think). The interface changes with viewing distance, showing simpler information when the user is further away and more detail when they approach. There's also a range of customisable faces.
HomeView will allow access to some general content for everyone, including conversational requests via Siri AI, but private Messages and Calendar content will appear only when an enrolled person is recognised and their paired iPhone or iPad is present and recently unlocked.
Apps supported include Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV and various third-party media apps. There's a 12MP Center Stage camera for FaceTime, and Handoff allows some activities to be continued from an iPhone. Apple says expanded access to certain server-based AI features will require a separate subscription fee in the future.
The ad above shows a kind of Modern Family scenario in which the HomeView somehow makes a morning routine even more chaotic. To me, it seemed to drag on and on, and it made me feel more anxious than excited about the product.
Part of the problem is the characterisation of the family. Many people might be able to relate to them, but would anyone aspire to be them? They're so unlikeable, so stressed out over a morning routine, with the screen becoming the centre of their world. And if they're going to fight over a shared device, perhaps it would be better for each person to have their own screen to look at.
Maybe Apple should invent it: it would be like a portable digital tablet that could run apps, messaging and provide information about the weather. Oh... wait.
Both the tabletop and wall-mounted Apple HomeView models start at $299/£299. A mount for the later costs extra. Preorders are open on the Apple website in initial launch markets with delivery starting from 13 November, 2026.
It could be the ultimate smart home device for the family that hates each other.
Preorders are also open for the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2. Meanwhile, iPhone Duo pre-orders begin on Friday 16 October.
