Apple's HomeView smart display went up for pre-order on Tuesday at $299, and by Wednesday morning Amazon had already beaten that price on some configurations, selling the device from $289.99 shipped.
It's not a huge markdown. Ten dollars off a $299 gadget isn't going to change anyone's weekend plans. But it's the first crack in the sticker price for Apple's first real swing at a Matter and HomeKit touchscreen hub, and right now Amazon is the only retailer offering it below Apple's own listing.
The catch is that the discount is selective. Only a couple of the HomeView color options are marked down at the moment, and the Wall Mounted edition is still sitting at full price on Amazon as of this morning. Anyone hoping to save on that version will have to wait and see if the retailer extends the cut.
Apple itself isn't budging on price and, isn't accepting trade-ins against HomeView. That's a departure from how the company usually handles new hardware, where an old iPad or Apple Watch can knock real money off a pre-order. Since HomeView is effectively a new product category for Apple, there's nothing to trade in against it yet, which means there's no reason to order directly from Apple now that Amazon is cheaper.
HomeView itself is built around the idea of a shared household screen. It can recognize up to six different faces and switch to a personalized view for whoever is standing in front of it, pulling in each person's own calendar, reminders and music. From there it acts as a control panel for HomeKit and Matter accessories, a FaceTime and intercom terminal for talking between rooms, and a hub for music, podcasts, audiobooks and TV.
If you want HomeView on a wall rather than a counter, budget for extra. The mount isn't bundled in in any configuration and costs at least $59 on top of the device price, according to 9to5Mac's reporting on the launch. The two HomeView versions also reportedly differ in a way Apple hasn't advertised prominently, though the exact distinction wasn't detailed in Tuesday's rollout.
HomeView is also not launching in the European Union alongside the US release, per 9to5Mac, though Apple has not laid out a timeline for bringing it there.
No Indian pricing or availability has been announced for HomeView as of this filing. Apple has a habit of staggering smart-home hardware launches market by market, so an India debut, if one comes, would likely follow the US and other initial markets rather than arrive alongside them.
For now, the only confirmed deal is the Amazon price cut on select HomeView colors, and that's worth checking before paying Apple's standard $299 for the same hardware.
DDFiled by The Deals Desk
Price drops and sales on tech worth buying, with the price, the retailer and the time it was reported. Prices move; every deal says when it was seen.
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