Week 468 was posted by Charanjit Chana on 2026-10-13.
Usually I'm pretty upbeat about Apple announcements, even when we're in speed-bump years, but this whole Apple 'home' space is not exciting me the way in which I thought it might.
Homepod Mini 2
There's an entire Home section on the Apple website now, with the promise of more accessories to come. The HomePod Mini has always seemed pretty interesting, but beyond Siri AI, there's nothing new of note that I can see.
Apple TV 4K
And then there was one. The last generation had the option to buy with and without an Ethernet port and I also believe there were storage options. Now there's one option at £299 which Ethernet and 126GB of storage.
There are also mics built in, so Siri works on your TV even without a remote. Nice feature, but at double the price of its predecessor I'm really underwhelmed. I was thinking of getting a new Apple TV 4K after almost a decade with our current one and relocating that one elsewhere but I guess we'll stick to what we've got and suffer with our other solutions elsewhere in the house.
In truth, I can't recommend the Apple TV as a device enough. The whole ecosystem just works and it's always on and ready to go. The updates screensavers look like they fit in with the rest of the ecosystem now, but the scenic ones they've had for the past few years are always stunning and I would just stick with them anyway.
Apple HomeView
Pretty much what had been rumoured for months, if not years, the HomeView lives as a central hub where up to 6 people can interact with it. I like the idea, but the wall mounted version looks better to me than the hub. But this video shows a family scene with the Apple HomeView at the centre of it all. In my opinion, this is not up to the same standard as other videos where Apple frames what the device is there for.
Anyway, both versions of the HomeView do the same, but I'm not sure why the "normal" one comes with a large body but the wall mounted one doesn't include the mount. Odd.
I do like the idea, and it looks like a really useful bit of tech, but I don't see how I'd fit it in to my home if I'm honest.
The Apple HomeView is of course featured on Good Gear Club, and I'd like to see it in person, but right now all of the above look like well executed products that just aren't for me.
Tags: apple, apple tv, homeview