Key takeaways
- According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a higher-end HomeView, code-named J595, with a roughly 9-inch screen on a motorized arm that can swivel 360 degrees and turn toward whoever is speaking. It is planned for 2027 or 2028, and Gurman gives no price.
- The current HomeView, with a fixed 7-inch screen and a $299 price, has not even shipped yet. Deliveries start November 13.
- My view: in my opinion, HomeView is just a second screen for the iPhone, and putting it on a robot arm does not change that. For the money, an iPad Air and a cheap rotating stand do more. I give it a 90% chance of ending up like Vision Pro.
Apple’s HomeView is not even in stores yet, and we already hear about a more expensive one. In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is developing a higher-end HomeView, code-named J595. It would have a screen of about 9 inches, up from 7 inches on today’s $299 model, mounted on a motorized arm that can swivel a full 360 degrees. Using voice recognition, it would turn toward the person who is talking.
According to Gurman, it is planned for 2027 or 2028. It would not replace the current HomeView, it would sit above it as a premium model. The name is not known. Sites like 9to5Mac, MacRumors and AppleInsider are guessing at “Pro,” “Max,” “Ultra” or “360.” Gurman did not give a price, but when the robot-arm device was first reported in 2024, the talk was about $1,000.
In this article: What it could look like · A second screen for the iPhone, now on an arm · Amazon tried it. That means nothing, and still · $1,000? I have a better idea · Six people talking at once · The cheap model is not even out · Apple home robots? I don’t see it · A robot arm from the company that can’t make a hinge · The “wow” was already spent · Will it even happen? · What would make me buy it on day one? · FAQ
What it could look like
A second screen for the iPhone, now on an arm
Does a screen that turns after you make sense? Yes, but not in the way it is presented now. In my opinion, HomeView is just a stupid second display for the iPhone, nothing more. And Apple made a huge “wow” out of it.
I wrote it when it launched: there is no App Store, and the third-party apps you get come through CarPlay-style apps, while Siri AI does more only with an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad. So in my opinion, without your iPhone it is useless. Put that on a robot arm, and you have a moving second screen for the iPhone.
And when I remember that cringe ad for the wall version, where they made a hole in the kitchen just to fit HomeView, no thank you. Apple says the wall model uses mounts from Schneider Home, with self-installation or professional installation. I don’t want a hole in my kitchen for a speaker with a screen.
Will the turning screen impress? Maybe for a few days after you buy it. Then it is just a display. I don’t believe anyone will buy a second display on purpose, just because of their iPhone.
Amazon tried it. That means nothing, and still
Amazon already sold a smart display that turns to follow you, the Echo Show 10, and it never became a hit. Engadget called the rotating screen a pricey novelty.
People will say Apple has the ecosystem. What ecosystem? HomeView cannot even pair with a Mac. That Amazon failed does not mean Apple will fail. Apple is far ahead in gadgets, and everything it releases has demand at least in the first month. But then it can go the way of Vision Pro. And I don’t think it will go better at Apple. Rather the opposite. I bet this gadget has no future, even though I was really looking forward to it.
$1,000? I have a better idea
I am really curious what this display would have to do for us to pay $1,000 for it. For the same money, I buy an iPad Air, and from AliExpress some stand for the kitchen that can turn by itself for a few dollars. Those stands that follow your face already exist. And I have a HomeView and a smart home in one, with everything, and I don’t need my iPhone nearby.
I don’t even need the stand. My iPad Pro is stuck on my fridge with its magnets when I am in the kitchen. I have the Home app there and control everything: cameras, lights, music. Why should I pay another $299 for a hub, and later maybe $1,000 for a hub on an arm?
Six people talking at once
Some will buy it because it recognizes more voices and should be smart about who is talking to it. But in my opinion, Siri AI is still so dumb. I want to know what happens when several people in the house start talking to it at the same time. Where does the arm turn? I don’t believe it will be that good.
One MacRumors reader joked about an ad where a family argues at the table and HomeView spins around deciding who gets its attention. It is funny, but it is also the real question.
The cheap model is not even out
Some say Apple hurts itself: why buy the base HomeView if a better one is coming? I see it differently. I am not even sure a second generation, or another device like this, will ever come out. I am a skeptic.
This thing is really boring, and honestly, it does not serve much purpose. I don’t believe anyone is waiting for an expensive display with a speaker. And when you add that for the wall you also have to buy a mount, God knows how much it costs in the end. That is a massacre. I am sure the fascination will last a month at most, and then it stays as decor.
Maybe Apple is heading somewhere we don’t know yet. But I would rather bet that innovation is running out for them, and they have to come to market with something so people talk about them.
Apple home robots? I don’t see it
Is this the start of Apple home robots? In my opinion, it won’t work out for them. In the home, they have been weak. They have a speaker and a display. Next to HomeView, Apple also showed a smart lock, cameras and a doorbell, but that does not make them a home company.
With home robots from Apple, people will not pay that much money, at least not the first time. These are not the things people throw money at. In this segment, people rather buy Chinese, cheaper products from brands like Xiaomi, which give more features for a lower price. These are things that stay at home, and you don’t have to be in contact with them all the time, like an iPhone, an Apple Watch or a computer, which must be fast and reliable. That is where Apple is strong: computers, tablets, phones.
In everything else, I assume with 80% probability that they will not succeed. They will sell to fans, and that is it.
A robot arm from the company that can’t make a hinge
This is why I think the direction is very bad. Apple has such a big problem with its foldable phone right now that I feel it is starting to hurt them. Before the presentation, everyone said “wow, we can’t wait for the Duo.” Now everyone complains: what are these crazy delivery dates?
I wrote about how Apple Stores tell people not to come for the iPhone Duo without a pre-order, and Gurman now calls the pre-orders a major mistake. Apple still does not see that it got into problems. They are too proud, and they were so proud before the presentation and before the pre-orders. And now the same company wants another complicated mechanism, a motorized arm.
The “wow” was already spent
Apple also has its favorite reporters who say before every presentation what they will release. Then the presentation comes, and “wow, miracle,” it is everything we already knew. October 13 was, in my opinion, the peak. It looks like they don’t know what to do.
In my opinion, Apple should aim at what works for them, what really sells and what has big demand on the market. Otherwise they go the way of “we are a company for everything,” and in reality it is just limping.
Will it even happen?
Some readers trust Gurman only about 50/50, and 2027 or 2028 is a long way off. I think a lot can still change here. Let’s wait to see how the first model sells. My bet is that this thing goes the same way as Vision Pro. I give it about 90%.
Will I buy it? Definitely not. I have an iPad. I don’t need to keep feeding Apple because it released a display for the iPhone. No thanks.
What would make me buy it on day one?
After everything we have seen, I don’t even know. Something really “wow.” But they have not managed to impress me lately. Rather, the last two months with Apple have been more and more “ugh.” Apple, what on earth are you doing?
Featured image: Apple. Concept sketch: Evolt News.
This article is opinion.
Apple HomeView robotic arm: FAQ
What is the Apple HomeView with a robotic arm?
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it is a higher-end HomeView in development, code-named J595, with a roughly 9-inch screen on a motorized arm that can swivel 360 degrees and turn toward the person speaking.
When will the HomeView with a robotic arm be released?
Gurman reports it is planned for 2027 or 2028. Apple has not announced it.
How much will the robotic HomeView cost?
Gurman did not give a price. When Apple’s robot-arm device was first reported in 2024, it was expected to cost around $1,000. The current HomeView costs $299.
Will it replace the current HomeView?
No. According to the report, it would be a premium model sold alongside the current 7-inch HomeView, not a replacement.
When does the current HomeView ship?
Apple says HomeView is available to pre-order now, with availability beginning November 13.
Sources: Bloomberg (Mark Gurman, Power On), Apple Newsroom, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and its readers, AppleInsider, Engadget.
Our Take
A robot arm does not fix what HomeView is. In my opinion, it is a second screen for the iPhone, and an iPad on a cheap stand already does more.
Apple should build what people really want, not a $1,000 gadget for fans.
