Apple is expected to refresh and expand its Home and TV category on 13 October with a range of new products from a second-generation HomePod mini to an all-new home hub device.
In a new report from Bloomberg, Mark Gurman reports that Apple is going to begin its "push" into the home category on Tuesday, 13th October - that's less than two weeks away.
HomePod mini 2
He expects a new HomePod mini that supports Siri AI and comes in green and pink. These colours are backed up by reports from last week, where MacRumors found code referencing these new devices that showed the second-generation HomePod mini available in blue, pink, green, black and white.
Whilst this refresh may look simple, with new colours and a newer chip, Apple has made advancements in both AI and Apple Silicon since it debuted the HomePod mini in 2020, with the S5 chip. For reference, the latest 'S-series chip is the S11, and AI has advanced so far in the past six years - HomePod mini is older than ChatGPT.
Apple TV 4K (2026)
Apple last updated its TV box four years ago, and is now expected to launch the next generation on the 13th October.
All we know so far is that the new model will have the same external design as its predecessor, and simply receive a new chip that will enable Apple Intelligence and Siri AI.
We could also see new features for tvOS 27, after little was mentioned about this platform at WWDC26.
Home Hub
The device likely to steal the show however, is an all-new home hub with a display, perforated speakers and a "polished metal arm". Gurman says this hub will sit stationary on a side and use facial recognition to display content appropriate to each user who approaches the device.
The hub’s defining feature will be its ability to serve multiple members of a household. It is designed to recognize who is speaking to it or approaching it, and then display personalized content and provide answers based on that person’s data and accounts.
Essentially, it appears that this hub will be a device that adapts the content it shows depending on who is in front of it. For example, it could potentially only serve your notifications, messages or calendar appointments if it has detected you in the frame.
Gurman says it will have a visitor mode to hide personal information, but it remains unclear how the device would react if two people it recognises approached the device at the same time.
This Home Hub, often referred to as 'HomePad' by various publications, has been likened to the Steve Jobs era iMac G4.
What About HomePod?
Apple's full-sized HomePod is not expected to launch next month, though Apple is working on updating it according to the report.
Apple first introduced the HomePod in 2018, and launched the second-generation in 2023. Three years later, whilst not as old as the HomePod mini, it is starting to feel outdated.
Following the launch of a new HomePod mini that's powered by Siri AI, it will be odd that the much more premium-priced HomePod is less capable.
Final Thoughts
Apple appears to be finally reinvigorating its Home and TV category next month, after years of neglecting this part of its product lineup. This is, in part, due to software delays within the company, with the revamped Siri reportedly facing a two-year delay after Apple initially planned to launch it in 2024.
But, at last, we could see new Home products arrive by the end of 2026. If these launches happen, they would also continue a broader trend we've seen from Apple this year: refreshing older and long-neglected products across its lineup.
Apple has already refreshed products such as the Studio Display and AirPods Max, while discontinuing older products including the Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro. New Home products would therefore represent another step in Apple giving some of its ageing product categories a much-needed refresh.
