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Apple Positions HomeView as a Spatial Audio Countertop Speaker at $299

The seven-inch screen tilts on a base packed with force-cancelling woofers and starts shipping to buyers on November 13.

By Home Screen

The Home Tech Desk · (2 hours ago)

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Apple HomeView smart display tilted on its tabletop base in space grey finish
Apple HomeView smart display tilted on its tabletop base in space grey finishPhoto via What Hi-Fi?

Apple is treating its first screened home hub just as much like a speaker as a dashboard. The company opened pre-orders for the Apple HomeView at $299 in the US, £299 in the UK, and AU$449 in Australia, with hardware scheduled to ship out on November 13.

The hardware splits duties across two physical pieces when bought in its tabletop setup. Two custom full-range drivers sit directly inside the display enclosure to handle Spatial Audio. Low-end frequencies get routed down into the base, which houses a downward-firing woofer paired with two force-cancelling passive radiators. Real-time sensors feed Apple silicon to adjust loudness and bass on the fly.

Buyers can also grab a wall-hanging version for that same $299 sticker price, though fittings and a compatible power supply cost extra. Skipping the base naturally means losing the dedicated woofer, but Apple applied specific acoustic tuning to compensate for flat-wall reflections.

Facial Profiles and Proximity Dimming

Up front, the seven-inch Liquid Retina panel relies on Apple's True Tone system to balance white points against room lighting. It scales output between 500 nits and a dim 0.3 nits so bedside users are not blinded in the dark. The interface also shifts its density depending on proximity, showing basic glances at a distance before expanding into detailed readouts as you walk closer.

A built-in camera handles FaceTime calls and facial recognition, letting HomeView switch between six distinct user profiles. Each person gets their own home layout alongside customized Siri speaking paces and voice choices. Pulling in messages or calendar context requires pairing with an Apple Intelligence device, such as an iPhone 18 Pro, and relies strictly on first-party Apple applications.

On the music front, the display surfaces synchronized lyrics and animated artwork from Apple Music. Tapping a phone against the front panel hands off playback immediately, and the unit syncs wirelessly with existing HomePod gear across multiple rooms.

Apple offers the tabletop version in silver, starlight, space grey, and rose pink, each packaged with a color-matched cable and a stainless-steel hinge that lets the display tilt up and down. Beyond music and FaceTime, the panel ties directly into the Apple Home Collection, coordinating with connected locks, thermostats, and cameras built in partnership with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

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How this story was made

Written by the Hitechreports desk from the reporting credited above, with facts attributed to their original publishers. We do not test devices ourselves; anything about performance, battery life or cameras comes from the outlets that did. Prices are as reported at the time of writing. Editorial policy · Report an error

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Filed by The Home Tech Desk

TVs, home appliances and the smart home: refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, purifiers, robot vacuums, the sets on the wall and the platforms that connect them. Launches, prices in the US and India, and what changed.

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