Apple's first smart display, the HomeView, costs $299 and ships November 13

The $299 HomeView has a square touchscreen on a speaker. It uses Siri AI and can show your texts and doorbell camera.

Apple has launched the HomeView, its first smart display. The Verge got a first look in New York. It has a 7-inch square screen on a small speaker base. It ships November 13 in eight countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and India. It comes in four colors. A wall-mounted version costs the same $299.

It uses Apple's new Siri AI voice assistant. You can ask questions, control smart home devices and follow recipes. You can also take FaceTime calls and watch live camera feeds, such as a video doorbell. If it recognizes your face and your newer iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi, it can show your texts, calendar and email. The Verge says this keeps kids from reading your messages.

There are limits. The Verge says one command can't lock the front door and change the thermostat. Spotify and Audible work, but video apps are not here yet. The Verge says the sound beats the HomePod Mini but not the full-size HomePod. Its writer has only seen a demo so far.

The facts

• The Apple HomeView costs $299, and a wall-mountable version without the speaker base also costs $299.
• Preorders are open now, with devices shipping November 13th in eight countries: the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and India.
• The HomeView has a 7-inch square screen on a small aluminum speaker base and comes in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray.
• Personal context from texts, calendar and email requires facial recognition and an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone on the same network.
• The HomeView can show up to nine live streams from HomeKit Secure Video cameras and supports up to six user profiles.
• Spotify and Audible are available on the HomeView, but no video apps are available yet.
• Chained requests for home devices are limited to specific device types: you can turn on lights in two rooms, but can't lock the front door and adjust the thermostat in one command.

Sources

• The Verge AI: Apple launches HomeView, its first smart display for the home