Perspective

Apple HomeView Launch Draws Criticism

By Claire Schultz

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Updated

October 17, 2026

Reading Time

1 min

This week Apple unveiled HomeView, a $299 smart display device with a 7-inch screen that can sit on a counter or table or be mounted on the wall of users’ homes. HomeView supports music, FaceTime calls, recipe and web displays, security-camera feeds, and hands-free smart home control. The device can recognize up to six household members by face to show each person’s own messages and calendar, and can respond to voice commands through Siri AI, a more conversational Siri that draws on personal context from paired user iPhones.

Backlash from users on X criticized the product for adding yet another screen to homes full of iPhones and Apple Watches, skeptical of demand for the device given the limited traction of previous Apple home device launches: the $349 iPod Hi-Fi was pulled after just 18 months of sluggish sales in 2007. Apple discontinued its AirPort routers in 2018 after about five years without updates. The AirPower charging mat was canceled over overheating problems before it ever shipped in 2019. The original HomePod was dropped in 2021 so Apple could focus on the cheaper HomePod mini.

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Authors

Claire Schultz

Research Associate

Claire is a Research Associate at Contrary. Claire's academic research has centered primarily on particle physics, and has been published in Nature. Prior to Contrary, Claire worked on the investment team at Bridgewater Associates and studied mathematics and physics.

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