Apple’s long-awaited smart home assault finally has a launch date - apparently - with the tech giant purportedly preparing to unveil its first dedicated smart home hub on October 13 alongside new versions of the HomePod mini and Apple TV.

It was way back in November 2024 that rumors of an upgraded Apple Home assault first surfaced, when reports pointed to a wall-mounted smart display and a new security camera as the opening moves in Apple’s attempt to catch up with the likes of Amazon and Google.

Almost two years and several reported delays later, we might finally have a clearer picture of what Apple has been working on.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (who has been the main source during this whole saga), Apple is planning on taking the covers off the smart home hub, (supposedly codenamed J490 and subsequently dubbed “HomePad”), on October 13, with the device expected to be the main event of a bigger Apple Home push that could also include the first HomePod mini update since 2020, as well as a new Apple TV, which would be the first new model since 2022.

The hub itself is said to be smaller than some of the previous reports suggested, with Gurman now describing a roughly 6-inch square display, similar to the mockup created by the guys at MacRumors , above.

He states that it will be available in both countertop and wall-mounted versions, with the latter will expected to use a different speaker and microphone arrangement beneath the screen.

The countertop model could have a distinctly retro Apple iMac look to it, with a round metal base supporting the display on a polished metal arm.

The screen could be tilted forwards and backwards, while the base houses the speakers and microphones.

The report states there are no battery, volume buttons or power button, with power supplied through USB-C, and the device will reportedly come in Apple’s familiar grey aluminium finish.

The display itself is said to be roughly as thick as an iPhone, with rounded corners and a black bezel reminiscent of older iPad models.

The “HomePad” is apparently designed to recognize different members of a household, using a combination of voice recognition and facial recognition to work out who is interacting with it.

Once it knows who is standing in front of it, the interface can change to show that person’s information. Contacts, messages, calendar appointments, notes and preferred app layouts could all be personalized, with the display switching automatically when another member of the household approaches.

There will also reportedly be a guest mode that hides personal information, while an iPhone can be used as a fallback or for additional authentication if the hub can’t reliably identify someone.

The hub is said to be running a new operating system based on tvOS, with an interface borrowing elements from iOS and watchOS. Apps and widgets will sit alongside features including smart home controls, FaceTime, music, photo slideshows, calendars and intercom-style calls.

The system is also being built around Apple’s revamped Siri AI, which is supposedly the main reason this entire project has taken so long to reach the starting line.

Earlier reports had the hub arriving in spring 2026 , before the launch slipped again.

Now, assuming the October 13 date sticks, Apple could be less than 2 weeks away from pulling the smart home trigger.

The updated HomePod mini and Apple TV are also being built around Siri AI, according to Gurman’s latest update, giving Apple a new hardware foundation for its smarter assistant across the home.

There could be more to come, too. The long-rumored robotic version of the hub and Apple’s J450 indoor security camera are reportedly still in development, with those products potentially forming the next stage of Apple’s home ambitions.

The smart home hub is therefore less of a one-off new product than the first piece of a much larger Apple Home strategy that has been taking shape behind the scenes in the past few years.

After all the murmurs and rumors, October 13 could finally be the day we find out whether Apple’s new vision for the smart home is ready.