Apple Goes Home, Siri Opens the Door

On October 13, six weeks after John Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as CEO, Apple quietly launched new products centered on the home. The star is HomeView, a 7-inch display priced at $299 that recognizes family members as they approach and switches the interface for each person. It is launched alongside the HomePod mini 2, the first refresh in six years, and a new Apple TV 4K that supports hands-free Siri. The launch is widely read as Apple's attempt to make up for the Siri delays, the quietly dropped ads, and the $250 million lawsuit settlement. Yet a shared household device raises harder problems than a personal phone: privacy and permissions for multiple users, and the risk that one person's intent does not fit the situation of everyone at home. Apple is drawing on Google's Gemini models and working with partners such as LG and Schneider Electric to widen its ecosystem.