Apple is reportedly preparing a smart home expansion centred around a new device code-named J490 with a square display, alongside refreshed HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K models, with an unconfirmed launch date of October 13, 2026, according to Bloomberg reports.
Apple is setting up its largest push into the smart home market in years, targeting an October 13 unveiling for a trio of connected home products. The hardware lineup pairs an entirely new smart display category with hardware refreshes for two existing products.
Apple Builds the J490 Smart Display With Retro Design Cues
The centrepiece of the reported hardware lineup is an all-new smart home hub internally referred to as J490. According to reports citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device features a square display measuring roughly 6 inches, designed with a retro physical look that takes direct inspiration from the iMac G4. John Ternus guides the company as chief executive officer in this push into home automation. The hardware setup includes a round metal base housing speakers and microphones, connected to the screen by a tilting arm. A separate wall-mounted variant is also in development with a slimmer speaker base, and both designs require a permanent connection to USB-C power rather than relying on a battery.
The interface borrows design elements across iOS, watchOS, and tvOS, utilizing a cut-down iPad layout for apps like Messages alongside clock faces and widgets. Leaked setup screens indicate the device is designed to spend much of its idle time displaying a large clock and iCloud photos configured through collections, memories, or shared albums. The hub is intended for multi-user households, with software capable of recognizing individual family members through face or voice to present personalized information such as calendars and reminders, alongside a guest mode to restrict access to private content. The device is also believed to check for nearby iPhones and display relevant data for that user.
Apple Refreshes the HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K
Alongside the new hub, Apple is refreshing two established living room devices that have gone years without hardware overhauls. Four HomePod minis could reportedly be paired to an Apple TV 4K.
The HomePod mini will retain its familiar physical design while receiving its first major hardware update since its 2020 debut, gaining a newer processor and additional color options including pink and green. Similarly, the updated Apple TV 4K is expected to keep its existing exterior chassis while incorporating a faster processor to handle demanding local processing tasks.
Siri AI Delays the Apple Launch
The smart display hardware has faced repeated delays since it was first scheduled to debut in 2024. Reporting indicates that Apple held back the device because it was built around an advanced version of Siri that was not yet ready to support an entire product category. The rebuilt assistant relies on on-device silicon and Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers to manage complex home interactions.
“The smart home has spent 15 years as a hobby for people willing to fiddle with hubs, automations, incompatible standards and badly designed apps, AI finally offers a way to hide that complexity behind ordinary language. Instead of programming the house, you talk to it.”
Duncan McLeod, TechCentral editor
Apple Has Not Confirmed October 13 Launch Date
While Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points to October 13 as the date for Apple’s smart home announcement, Apple has not yet issued official event invitations or confirmed whether the products will arrive via a streamed presentation or a series of Apple Newsroom press releases. Pricing details also remain unconfirmed, with earlier industry estimates suggesting a figure around $350, though that number traces back to older reports rather than official company announcements.
Will Apple confirm the October 13 date, issue event invitations, or release these devices at the expected $350 price point?