Apple to Launch Smart Display, New HomePod mini and Apple TV on October 13

Apple plans to launch a smart display, an updated HomePod mini and a refreshed Apple TV 4K on October 13, according to a Bloomberg report. The launch would mark Apple's first dedicated smart display and its first HomePod mini refresh since 2020.

The smart display is code-named J490, with a wall-mountable variant code-named J491. It reportedly has a roughly six-inch square screen with rounded corners, quarter-inch bezels, a round aluminum base and a tiltable metal arm. The device reportedly has no battery and no volume or power buttons, relying on USB-C power.

The display reportedly uses voice recognition and a front-facing camera to recognize people and switch the interface to their contacts, notes, calendar and widgets. It also reportedly includes a visitor privacy mode and iPhone fallback authentication. Its operating system reportedly mixes iPad-style split-pane apps, watchOS-like icon arrangements, and StandBy-like clock and photo slideshow screens.

The HomePod mini refresh is expected to bring fresh colors and faster silicon. The new Apple TV 4K is expected to be faster and to run Apple's new on-device and cloud-based AI models.

For years, Google and Amazon have dominated the smart home space while Apple offered only the HomePod and HomePod mini. Google released the Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max and the dockable Pixel Tablet. The original Nest Hub Max proved years ago that camera-based face matching and household utility could work, but Google pivoted attention toward the Pixel Tablet instead of iterating on dedicated Nest smart displays. The Pixel Tablet's Hub Mode lacked the always-on household reliability of dedicated Nest hardware, and in recent months and years, users have dealt with persistent Google Home automation and routing issues.