Apple has announced a special event for Oct. 13 in New York, with rumors pointing to a new smart home hub, an updated Apple TV, and more.
Apple just announced a special Oct. 13 event in New York called an Apple experience. The rumors say we’ll see a new smart home hub with a 6-inch display, a refreshed HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV 4K. An OLED iPad mini is also floating around as a potential reveal.
This could push Apple’s smart home ambitions further into everyday life, making it easier to control lights, cameras and thermostats from a single hub. No pricing or exact release dates have been shared yet.
Update · Oct 8, 12:55 PM ET
New details confirm Apple’s planned smart home push and key timing around Oct 13 in New York. A teaser video posted by Apple’s marketing chief sets the date “Welcome home. October 13,” and Apple has invited press to an “Apple Experience” in Tribeca at 9 a.m. Eastern.
Bloomberg adds that the lineup likely centers on three main devices: a smart home hub with a display, a second-generation HomePod mini with a faster chip, and a refreshed Apple TV. It also notes Apple’s plans to roll out we’re seeing devices made with LG, including a doorbell, a smart door lock, a thermostat and indoor, outdoor and floodlight cameras. These new details reinforce a broad, LG-branded smart-home strategy aligned with Siri AI features on the horizon.
Update · Oct 8, 12:30 PM ET
New details confirm Apple’s planned smart home push centers on a seven-inch HomePad, with its own homeOS, voice and face recognition, and a dashboard resembling StandBy-style layouts. It’s designed to personalize content for each user and support features like FaceTime, video and music streaming, and in-home intercom.
Other specifics from the latest reports: the HomePod mini and the Apple TV are expected to get faster chips to run Siri AI, while keeping current designs. New colors for the HomePod mini are rumored, including green and pink. A code-named display hub, also tied to the October 13 event in Tribeca, New York, is described as the centerpiece of the show alongside these refreshed devices. Hands-on sessions with the products are slated to occur in New York in the days leading up to the event, and LG-branded doorbell, thermostat, and lock hardware are reportedly part of the broader ecosystem partnership.
Apple has announced a special event for October 13, with plans to reveal new smart home and home entertainment products. The event is described as an Apple experience and will take place in Tribeca, New York, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
What we know for sure is the date and setting. In the days leading up to the event, outlets have circulated rumors about the potential lineup, including a new smart home hub with a 6-inch display, a refreshed HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV 4K. There’s also rumor chatter about an OLED iPad mini and upgraded internals across the home devices, but none of these specifics have been confirmed by Apple yet.
Here’s why this matters: if Apple threads its hardware tightly into a broader smart home platform, you could see easier control of devices, better interoperability with other Apple services, and new ways to use FaceTime, news, weather, and calendar information across a single hub. The exact timing of releases and pricing remains unclear at this stage.
Welcome home. October 13. pic.twitter.com/ChelGSDOTI
— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) October 8, 2026
The company has not confirmed details, but rumors point to a smart home hub similar to a cross between a tablet and a speaker, plus a new Apple TV 4K with faster internals and a refreshed HomePod mini. An OLED iPad mini is also mentioned in some reports as part of the broader home-focused lineup.
A cohesive, company-supported smart home platform could simplify how you manage lights, cameras, thermostats, and other smart devices. If Apple adds deeper ties to its home ecosystem, you might see better privacy controls, smoother iCloud-based syncing, and easier multi-room configurations across devices.
We’ll know more on Oct. 13 after Apple presents its new products. If you’re considering upgrades, pay attention to which devices support your current setups and what new features Apple touts for HomeKit, Siri, and Matter compatibility.
When is the event?
Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 9:00 a.m. ET in New York.
What’s likely to be announced?
Rumors point to a smart home hub with a 6-inch display, a refreshed HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV 4K. An OLED iPad mini is also mentioned in some reports, but nothing is official yet.
You're reading the quick version.
Amazon drops a new line of Android tablets branded under Alexa, bringing Google Play access and a focused Alexa experience to three sizes.
New rumors say the iPhone Air 2 could be about 0.4mm thinner than the current model, with a bigger battery and several high-end components.
Amazon unveils a new trio of Alexa Tablets that ditch Fire OS for Android, syncing with your Amazon account and offering full Play Store access.
The Daily Brief
Every morning, the news that matters from AI, phones, apps and the people shaping tech. Explained in plain English. Free.
One email a day. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy
