# Apple's home hub lands at 14:00 UK today. Here is what to expect

> Apple's Welcome Home announcement drops at 9am ET on 13 October, with a 6-inch Siri smart display, a new Apple TV 4K and a HomePod mini 2 all expected. Here is what is confirmed, what is rumoured, and what to watch.

- Published: 2026-10-13
- Topic: [Computing](https://futuretechnologyhq.com/topic/computing/)
- URL: https://futuretechnologyhq.com/article/apple-welcome-home-event-today-what-to-expect/
- Publisher: [Future Technology](https://futuretechnologyhq.com/), free to read. Quote as "Future Technology" with a link to the article.

## Key points

- Apple has confirmed a home-focused product launch on Tuesday 13 October under the Welcome Home tagline, expected as press releases and a video at 9am ET, 14:00 UK, rather than a live keynote
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects a smart home hub with a roughly 6-inch square display, plus a wall-mounted version
- A refreshed Apple TV 4K and a HomePod mini with a faster chip for on-device Siri are also expected
- The hub's name and price are not confirmed, with 300 to 349 dollars the most commonly cited figure

## Article

Apple's smart home push has been "next year" for about four years. Today it finally ships. The company's Welcome Home announcement goes live at 9am Eastern on Tuesday 13 October, which is 14:00 in the UK, 15:00 in central Europe and 22:00 in Tokyo. There is no live keynote. Expect press releases and a video, with invited press getting hands-on time at an "Apple Experience" in Tribeca, New York.

## What Apple has confirmed

Only the date, the tagline and the theme. Apple announced the launch on 8 October with a "Welcome home" line and artwork that leaves little doubt about the focus. Everything below comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and the usual supply chain reporting, which on Apple hardware is usually right about the what and occasionally wrong about the when.

## The three products expected

The headline device is a smart home hub, Apple's first. Reports describe a roughly 6-inch square display on a small base, with a design that several people have compared to the old iMac G4. A second version is said to be built for wall mounting, aimed at replacing the light switch panel by the front door. The hub runs a new Siri, the one that was meant to arrive in 2025, with on-device processing for the basics and Apple's cloud models for the rest. Expect FaceTime, HomeKit controls, a calendar view and an intercom function. The name is not settled. HomePad, HomeView and plain Home Hub have all been floated. Pricing chatter clusters around 300 to 349 dollars, with no word yet on UK or European pricing.

The second device is a new Apple TV 4K. The current box is from 2022 and is still excellent, so the interesting question is whether Apple gives it a faster chip for Siri, a built-in camera for FaceTime, or simply a price cut to seed more homes with a HomeKit hub.

The third is a HomePod mini 2. The original has not changed since 2020. A faster processor to run more of Siri locally is the expected upgrade, and if Apple is serious about the home it needs a cheap speaker that can actually hold a conversation.

## What to watch for

Three things decide whether this is a real platform or another Apple TV footnote. First, whether the hub works with Matter and Thread devices from other brands properly, not just HomeKit-certified kit. Second, whether the new Siri runs offline for routine commands, because a home hub that stalls when your broadband drops is a bad home hub. Third, the price outside the US. A 349 dollar hub that becomes 399 pounds in the UK will struggle against Google and Amazon panels that cost half as much.

Until the new kit lands, the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NTFX8JR?tag=futuretech0d6-21">current HomePod mini</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BJMNZTCK?tag=futuretech0d6-21">Apple TV 4K</a> are the only ways into Apple's home. Both are likely to get cheaper this week, so if you are buying, wait until 14:00.

We will update this article once Apple's press releases are live.

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## Sources

- [MacRumors: Apple product launch announced for October 13](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/08/apple-product-launch-october-13/)
- [9to5Mac: Three new products are coming tomorrow](https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/12/apple-welcome-home-event-three-new-products/)