Apple plans to launch new smart-home hub on Oct 13, Bloomberg News reports

Sept 30 — Apple is planning to make its long-delayed push into the smart-home market on October ​13 with a new hub code-named J490, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company also plans ‌to announce the first update to the HomePod mini since the device's 2020 debut and ⁠its first new TV set-top box ​since 2022, the report said.

Apple did ⁠not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Longtime hardware chief ‌John Ternus took over ‌as Apple's CEO earlier this month, with analysts expecting his ⁠tenure to bring renewed emphasis on its ⁠core strength in devices, engineering and focus on fusing AI capabilities into existing products.

Apple has been seeking to expand its presence in the smart-home market while remaining anchored by its core iPhone business, which serves as the company's flagship product and a key driver of ‌its broader ecosystem.

The company currently offers the HomePod ​and HomePod mini as part of its smart-home product lineup, while the Apple TV 4K set-top box is part of its home entertainment lineup.

The upcoming home hub, which is similar to Amazon's Echo and Google Home devices, will take the form of a roughly 6-inch square display, with versions that can be mounted on a wall or ​placed on a countertop, per the Bloomberg News report on Wednesday.

The hub will ‌recognize individual household ‌members ⁠and provide personalized content and responses based on their data and accounts, the report said.

The new HomePod mini and Apple TV will retain their current designs but include faster processors to support Siri's more powerful AI models, ‌the report said. In June, ​Apple unveiled a long-delayed overhaul of ‌Siri as part of ⁠a broader effort ​to strengthen its AI capabilities.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Devika Syamnath)

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