Apple has revealed the Apple HomeView. With a design that throws it back to the classic iMac G4 and a starting price of A$449, it certainly looks the part. It is meant to be the ultimate digital hub for your house. But after looking at what it actually does, we have to ask: who is this really for?
A Giant Apple Watch For Your Kitchen Bench
Let us be completely honest. When you strip away the fancy stainless steel hinge and the pretty colours (it comes in silver, starlight, rose pink, and space grey), the HomeView essentially feels like a massive Apple Watch sitting on your counter.
It features a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and runs on the speedy new A18 chip. It looks great and responds quickly. You can use it to check the weather, set cooking timers, look at your daily calendar, or turn off your smart lights. The problem? You can already do all of those exact same things using the iPhone in your pocket or the watch on your wrist. If you are already surrounded by Apple gadgets, you might find yourself wondering why you need another screen doing the exact same job.
The Good Stuff: It Knows Who You Are
To be fair, Apple has included some genuinely clever features that make it stand out from a standard tablet. The HomeView can recognise the faces and voices of up to six different people living in your house.
Walk up to the screen, and it personalises itself to show your specific reminders and text messages. Walk away, and your private group chats instantly vanish, leaving a clean slate for the next person. For shared spaces like a kitchen or living room, that built-in privacy is a huge win.
The FaceTime camera is also fantastic. Using a feature called Centre Stage, the camera physically follows you around the room while you are on a video call. If you like pacing while you talk or you are busy chopping vegetables, the HomeView keeps you perfectly in frame.
The Catch: It Is Very Locked Down
Here is where the shiny new gadget loses some of its appeal. The HomeView is incredibly locked down, even by Apple’s usual strict standards.
There is a glaring lack of third-party apps. You cannot just browse an App Store and download whatever you want, like you would on an iPad. Want to watch Netflix while you wash the dishes or scroll through social media? You might find yourself frustrated by the limitations.
Instead, you are forced to rely heavily on Apple’s own built-in apps and the Siri voice assistant. While Siri has received a major upgrade and is much smarter now, the whole experience still feels highly restricted. You are living purely in Apple’s world, on Apple’s terms.
The Verdict
We actually like the idea of HomeView. It is a beautiful piece of hardware, the speakers sound great, and the facial recognition tech is very impressive.
But how useful will the average consumer find it? If your entire life is already deeply connected to the Apple ecosystem and you have A$449 to spare, it is a fun luxury to have in the kitchen. However, if you are looking for a truly versatile screen that lets you do whatever you want, you might be much better off just buying a standard iPad and a cheap stand.
