Hands-on with Apple's HomeView smart display and Siri assistant
Engadget spent a short demo session with Apple's new HomeView, a smart display and speaker designed as a home hub. The device controls compatible smart home gear through the Home app, pulls context from iPhone or iPad apps, and uses Siri AI for more natural requests. Its Safari recipe mode can extract ingredients and steps, add inline timers, and accept handoff from an iPhone.
HomeView merges a smart display and speaker, feeding personalized content from an iPhone or iPad. It can manage compatible smart-home products through the Home app, including LG cameras, a door lock, and thermostats from LG and Schneider Electric. The screen also surfaces live camera feeds plus thermostat and lighting controls.
Siri AI can use iPhone context, such as finding a song mentioned in a text. Safari's recipe mode extracts ingredients and steps from supported recipes, adds tap-to-start inline timers, and accepts handoff when an iPhone is held nearby. The 7-inch aluminum device has tabletop and wall versions with differing speaker setups.
HomeView could make Apple households more connected, letting people control lights, locks, cameras, and thermostats by voice or touch while sharing calendars, messages, and recipes. It may also normalize always-present home assistants that recognize known users and personalize screens, raising expectations around privacy and access for family members or guests. Device makers outside Apple's ecosystem may feel pressure to match tighter iPhone integration, while users who prefer other platforms could find fewer benefits. Overall, its social effect may depend on how reliably it protects personal data in shared spaces.