Apple Reportedly Prepares Major Smart-Home Push With Siri AI At Center — New Hub, Apple TV And HomePod Mini Nearly Ready

• Apple is planning a major smart-home announcement for Oct. 13, centered on a hub code-named J490, reported Bloomberg.
• Siri AI is central to Apple’s smart-home plans, according to Bloomberg
• Apple’s smart-home efforts stretch back to the Home app in 2016, and the original HomePod announced in 2017.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is preparing a broader push into the smart-home market, with a dedicated hub, an updated HomePod mini and a new Apple TV set-top box nearly ready, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the company is planning a major smart-home announcement for Oct. 13, with a hub code-named J490 at the center of the effort. Siri AI is expected to play a central role in the new strategy.

Rather than marking Apple’s first move into the home, the reported launch would expand a hardware and software ecosystem the company has been building for roughly a decade.

At the time of this writing, AAPL stock traded marginally in the red in the premarket session.

Apple’s Smart-Home Push Has Been Years In The Making

Apple introduced the Home app with iOS 10 in 2016, giving users a central place to manage compatible connected-home products and automations. Apple TV could already enable remote access and home automation through that system.

The company then announced the original HomePod in 2017, positioning the Siri-powered speaker as both a music device and a way to control HomeKit accessories.

That hardware strategy has not followed a straight line. Apple launched the smaller HomePod mini in 2020, then discontinued the original full-sized HomePod in 2021 to focus on the mini. It returned to the larger format with a second-generation HomePod in 2023.

The upcoming refreshes would also address aging parts of the lineup. Bloomberg said the new HomePod mini would be its first major update since the product debuted in 2020.

Stocktwits has reached out to Apple for a comment, but the company has not responded as of publication.

Siri AI Moves Into The Home

Siri AI is central to Apple’s smart-home plans, per Bloomberg. Apple officially began rolling out the new assistant in beta in English on Sept. 14, describing it as capable of understanding personal context, onscreen information and taking more actions across apps. 

The tech giant has separately expanded AI features inside its Home app. Its latest software can combine related accessory alerts, generate descriptions of security-camera clips and let users search recorded footage.

The smart-home expansion also comes against a larger existing hardware business. Apple reported $7.88 billion in fiscal third-quarter (Q3) revenue from Wearables, Home and Accessories, up from $7.40 billion a year earlier. The company does not disclose smart-home product sales separately.

Apple Overhaul Alongside Product Expansion

The smart-home push would mark a significant product expansion under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook earlier this month. Ternus is also reportedly weighing a broader overhaul of Apple to sharpen its engineering focus, introduce products more frequently, and create a leaner organization. 

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that ideas under consideration include reducing some middle-management roles and moving away from Apple’s traditional spring-and-fall product-release cycle.

Retail Sentiment Around AAPL Stock

On Stocktwits, retail investor sentiment around AAPL stock remained in the ‘bearish’ territory. 

So far this year, AAPL stock has rallied over 21%. In comparison, the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (MAGS) and the iShares Russell 1000 Growth (IWF), which hold AAPL stock, have risen around 9% and 6%, respectively, over the same period.

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