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Just a month after Apple announced the release of its foldable phone, the tech giant is holding another announcement, this time aimed at smart homes.
Apple announced a so-called “Welcome Home” event on Thursday, where it is expected to launch a new kind of product.
The event will take place on 13 October at 9am local ET or 3pm CET.
The announcement was posted by Apple’s marketing chief, Greg Joswiak, with a video showing people doing a colourful needlepoint of the Apple logo. However, there was no indication of what would be announced.
Tech publications have predicted the main new product could be a home hub that would work like a tablet and be left in houses. It may be able to customise what it displays based on who is in the room, and many have referred to it as the ‘HomePad’.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that the lineup will also include a new HomePod mini and an updated Apple TV, with Siri AI at the core of all three devices. A faster processor in the HomePod Mini could let it run the upgraded version of Siri.
Further rumours point to Apple developing its own smart home devices, including security cameras and smart locks, in collaboration with LG
The event comes at a busy moment for the company, now led by CEO John Ternus. September brought the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, the iPhone Duo, AirPods 5 and new Apple Watch models. The “Welcome Home” event lands ten days before the iPhone Duo goes on sale on October 23.