HomeView not sold in EU as Apple cites regulation blocking Siri there
Apple on Tuesday began showing off a new round of smart home products at an event in New York City, anchored by the HomeView — an iPad-style hub the company said would control doorbells, thermostats, smart locks and other connected gadgets and showcase a rebuilt Siri virtual assistant.
The HomeView starts at $299 and will begin shipping next month. It features a 7-inch screen and face recognition and is designed to hang on walls or sit on tabletops. Preorders opened the day of the launch, with devices expected to be available starting November 13.
The HomeView will not be sold in the European Union because Siri AI remains unavailable there under EU regulations, Apple said, without specifying which regulations were responsible.
An Apple press release described the new Siri as more capable and conversational, drawing on personal context from apps such as Messages and Calendar to give more relevant answers. The HomeView is “powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI at its core, drawing on personal context from your iPhone to help you find what you need and get more done, all while keeping everyone’s information private and secure,” the release said.
The Guardian described the launch as taking place in a smart home market where Apple has operated for a decade without major success. The company first released its Home app to control smart gadgets in 2016 and followed it with HomePod smart speakers in 2018. Those offerings compete with Alphabet’s Google Home speakers and Amazon’s Echo line. Amazon last week launched premium tablets of its own, and AI companies including OpenAI have outlined hardware ambitions.
The HomeView launch was accompanied by updates to the HomePod smart speaker and to Apple TV devices. Apple also introduced a range of accessories manufactured by LG and Schneider Electric and designed with input from the company, including a Schneider smart thermostat, LG indoor and outdoor cameras, a doorbell camera, a floodlight camera and a smart lock that can be unlocked through the Apple Home app.
According to analysts cited by The Guardian, two major hurdles for Apple in the category have been making its devices work with a wider variety of third-party gadgets and the limited ability of Siri to give useful answers. The company described the new Siri as more capable and conversational, and positioned the HomeView and the Apple Home app as the integration point for the broader accessory ecosystem.