Apple’s HomeView display is now available to preorder

Apple is getting into smart displays with its new HomeView. It has a 7-inch squircle design, looking similar to a gargantuan Apple Watch mounted to a speaker base. The $299 HomeView is meant to be the centerpiece for Apple’s big push into the home, as it’s capable of controlling a host of smart home tech. Additionally, it can display recipes, show music playback controls, let you make FaceTime calls, and display a variety of widgets.

The HomeView launches on Friday, November 13th, and it’ll likely be a popular holiday gift. You can preorder in in multiple colors, and you have the option at checkout to either include a speaker base (it includes a custom down-firing woofer and two passive radiators) or opt for a wall-mounted option that omits the base and its extra sound performance. They’re the same price, though you’ll need to pay extra for the actual wall mounts.

The HomeView, like the Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini 2 that were announced today, goes big on Siri AI. When connected to an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, it supports natural-language voice interactions. Obviously, as a smart display with Thread and Matter connectivity it can control your smart home devices, but its AI capabilities let it surface info from your messages, emails, and more as well.

Update, 3:42pm ET, October 13th: The article now includes an important detail, which is that accessories for the wall-mounted HomeView make it more expensive than the option that has the speaker base.