The MacRumors Show
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PodcastThe MacRumors Show
Publisher/creatorThe MacRumors Show
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Apple this week finally announced the HomePod mini 2, a new Apple TV 4K, and its "HomeView" smart home hub. On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through our reactions to the announcements.
Apple's HomeView costs $299 and combines a 7-inch square display with Siri AI, FaceTime, music playback, and smart home controls. It has had something of a mixed reception from YouTubers and the wider Apple community, with some of the criticism centering on what it adds for someone who already owns an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod.
A screen for timers, photos, music, and home controls will be useful for many, but it is harder to explain why someone wearing an Apple Watch would reach across a kitchen counter to set a timer, or why they would type a message on HomeView instead of taking out their iPhone. Apple's promotional video puts some of those less convincing uses front and center.
There are many details to like about the design. The display can show photos and customizable faces, dim to just 0.3 nitsin the dark, and adjust its interface as someone approaches. In the kitchen, guided recipes turn webpages into step-by-step instructions, with voice-controlled timers available while cooking.
HomeView makes more sense as a replacement for an Echo Show or Nest Hub, particularly for anyone tired poor ecosystem integration and ads on their smart display. For people who have never wanted one, it may be less obvious what Apple has added to change their minds.
HomeView recognizes up to six people and switches to their apps and personal information. Its privacy protections mean personal content normally appears only when the user is recognized and their paired device is nearby and recently unlocked. Siri AI can answer general questions without an Apple Intelligence-compatible device, but personal requestsstill require one.
There is no App Store, either. Compatible third-party audio and video apps appear through a connected iPhone or iPad, using a CarPlay-like system. For services such as Spotify and Audible, that means relying on another device rather than installing an app directly on HomeView.
The wall-mounted version costs the same $299 despite losing the tabletop model's speaker base, woofer, and passive radiators. Mounts start at $59.95, and the box includes no power adapter or cable. It could be a welcome replacement for an iPad mounted on a wall, but putting several around a home quickly becomes expensive.
Six years after the original HomePod mini, the HomePod mini 2 adds an S10 chip, Sound Glowlighting, and support for Siri AI while retaining the same basic speaker hardware. Its $149 price is roughly 50% higher than the original's $99 launch price, following a June increase to $129.
The new model can serve as a default Mac speaker on models with Wi-Fi 6E or later. Siri AI is likely to make a bigger difference to everyday use, but it will arrive later, after the speaker launches on October 30.
The new Apple TV 4K also asks buyers to pay more for a familiar product. At $299, it adds the A19 chip, built-in microphones, and an updated Siri Remote. Siri AI is also coming to older models, while the new remote can be bought separately for $59.
The starting price is now more than twice the $129 entry point available before June's increases. The new model includes 128GB of storage, Ethernet, and Thread, and the equivalent outgoing model had already reached $249. Even so, $299 is a substantial outlay for a streaming box when many existing owners have little reason to replace theirs.
Support for four HomePods is one reason to upgrade. The new Apple TV can use matching front and rear pairs of HomePod mini 2 or second-generation full-sized HomePods for surround sound. Buying the box, two full-sized HomePods, and two HomePod mini 2 speakers at Apple's U.S. prices totals $1,295. These are products people can keep for years, but that also makes keeping an existing setup an attractive option.
The Apple Home Collection, developed with LG and Schneider Electric, adds another set of expensive purchases. One-tap setup and a lock that uses Ultra Wideband to unlock as someone approaches are useful features. Whether they justify paying more than for other HomeKitaccessories is another matter, especially when buying equipment for an entire home.
Apple is reportedly still working on a robotic home display and its own camera, separate from the LG and Schneider products. The camera is said to detect activity and presence without recording video.
We also look ahead to the rumored OLED MacBook, where a lighter design and a new display could matter more than the touchscreen. It is expected to be announced later this month. We also briefly return to the iPhone Duo, including whether its folding display and software changes make a more convincing case for trying a new kind of Apple device.
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Episode summary
This AI-generated Shortcast summary may omit nuance. Use the original episode when context or exact wording matters.
Welcome back to The Mac Room Show—good afternoon. It’s properly autumnal, and we have a packed month. If you meant to preorder an iPhone Duo, hopefully you already did; this may be a late reminder.
This week’s announcements feel autumnal too. I’m off to Thailand for heat and sunshine, but I’m braced for being called too negative: my reaction to the iPhone Duo and Home View is subdued.
Apple finally announced the home hub, Home View. I’m fairly balanced: it’s a smart display tied into Apple’s ecosystem, and at 299 dollars, it’s 50, maybe 100 dollars below expectations.
We’ve waited roughly two years for these products and six for a fresh HomePod mini, so I expected more. Home View may help on a kitchen counter, but I wear an Apple Watch, carry an iPhone, and have Apple kit everywhere. Why would a teenager message from a fixed screen? How often am I taking spontaneous FaceTime calls there?
I have Nest Hubs, and they do very little: music, photos, cooking timers. My kids might enjoy messaging before they have phones. Home View’s personal calendar and messages could help, but I need to try it. You don’t need 299 dollars to do what your phone does.
I like the design: subtle, inviting for photos, and the low brightness should suit dark rooms. But it feels like HomePod audio, Watch faces, photo widgets, a little iPad, and CarPlay mirroring without proving why it needs to exist. My Watch timer follows me; the counter screen doesn’t.
Other smart displays are similarly limited. Apple’s bet is that a communal device becomes personal when you approach it. It’s cleaner than an Echo Show blasting Amazon promotions. My seven-year-old gets notification lights that amount to ads; I’m ready to replace those with HomePod minis.
I’m not demanding an app store. My complaint is that Apple usually enters a category with an unmistakable idea. HomePod pursued sound quality; Apple TV has strong integrations. Browsing Safari at the kitchen counter? Really? The ergonomics are worse than a phone or iPad.
I agree hard on the wall-mounted version. Paying the same price, then extra for mounts and installation, while losing the better speaker base, is bullshit. Make it 199 dollars, or let people remove the screen from its stand later.
Wall mounting makes sense for people already using iPads with HomeKit, but the pricing gets me. The new Apple TV is 300 dollars, versus 129 for the entry model a year ago. Four HomePods can reach 1,200 dollars, and they’re not reference-grade speakers. This looks built for enormous budgets.
I wouldn’t buy the new Apple TV or HomePod mini purely on value—Sonos or a Google TV can be enough. Still, Home View isn’t wildly out of line if you value Apple sound, personal content, and no constant ads. It may be good enough for a kitchen or bedroom.
I may simply not need a smart display, and others may have use cases I haven’t considered. I’m underwhelmed after the wait. I wanted dedicated kitchen or bedside modes, a reason to buy several, and more ambition. The updated HomePod mini adds Siri AI, but apparently no obvious audio gains despite costing more.
I’m withholding a final verdict until reviews. Nobody should buy hardware for software that may arrive later, though. For now, I trust Apple’s privacy posture more than most if a microphone lives in my house, even if I’d rather not have one.
I’m curious about the robotic-arm Home View, a full-size HomePod, and Apple cameras and doorbells. Maybe a coherent plan appears in a couple of years. This week felt rushed, at prices that make the vision hard to embrace.
Let us know where you land—I’ll get called an Apple shill while you’ll get called too negative. Perfect split. Skip the personal attacks, and we’ll catch you next week.
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