{"id":635815,"date":"2026-10-20T01:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T01:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/635815\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T01:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T01:36:23","slug":"at-1000-apples-rumored-homeview-max-better-do-the-dishes-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/635815\/","title":{"rendered":"At $1,000, Apple’s rumored HomeView Max better do the dishes, too"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple is reportedly developing a premium HomeView built around a motorized arm that spins 360 degrees and turns the display toward whoever’s speaking, per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman<\/a>. A larger 9-inch screen, a 2027-2028 target, and an identity crisis about whether it’s a “Max,” an “Ultra,” or something with its own name.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve only just got the first HomeView<\/a>, but the Cupertino crew is thinking about the long-game here, and it expands into a companion era I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re ready for \u2014 with a fascinating backstory.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s actually rumored<\/p>\n

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\"Apple\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Per Gurman, the arm-equipped device pairs the motorized base with a bigger 9-inch display \u2014 up from the 7-inch panel on the standard HomeView just announced. But what\u2019s key to note is that this is not HomeView 2.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromTom’s Guide<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a more premium experience, and a companion that is actually able to rotate on its base and look at you as you walk around a room. Less of a passive device on your kitchen countertop and one that can actively engage with you \u2014 with a rumored $1,000 price tag penciled in for a 2027 launch.<\/p>\n

Apple already showed you this future<\/p>\n

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\"Apple\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Apple Machine Learning Research)<\/p>\n

In February 2025<\/a>, Apple Machine Learning Research published a video of a robot lamp research demo \u2014 a little articulated Pixar-looking lamp that watched a person move around a room, and responded with something uncomfortably close to personality. Head tilts. Leaning in. The unmistakable energy of Pixar\u2019s mascot coming to life with a machine learning degree.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Nobody treated it as a serious thing at the time. But here we are in October 2026, watching how things can come full circle. The more I watch it, the more I realize this wasn\u2019t just a lamp demo. It was Apple workshopping the idea of making your furniture behave like it notices you.<\/p>\n

And soon, we may see what that looks like in a real product. But that\u2019s not the only place where Apple may have already been unintentionally working on the HomeView Max.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

The car is dead. Long live the car\u2019s robot arm<\/p>\n

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\"ugly\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Vanarama)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the story underneath the story: the $10 billion electric car<\/a> is the most expensive graveyard in Apple history. When it was gutted, we all thought that everything was scattered into the wind.<\/p>\n

Gurman\u2019s reporting suggests something more deliberate \u2014 the robotics lived on, moving the arm from the driveway to the living room. And all that gesture recognition, smooth motion and spatial awareness of that car arm is reportedly being repackaged as this screen that turns its head when you walk in mid-Siri.<\/p>\n

As a tech nerd, this is an absurdly cool use of some serious engineering.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

The reality check: this is a pet, and pets are expensive<\/p>\n

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\"Jon\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Netflix)<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s time to put the tin hat on, together.<\/p>\n

First, the swivel is the whole thing \u2014 and the entire privacy conversation. Apple\u2019s pitch has always been privacy-centered, and for good reason when you see what other companies are doing.<\/p>\n

And while that may well be the case with this arm version of HomeView, I think there\u2019s a creep factor to a screen following you around the room that will cause some spirited discussions around the Thanksgiving table.<\/p>\n

Second, that rumored price is going to turn some heads. Compared to other smart home hubs, the current HomeView is already pretty pricey and kind of limited in functionality. Now we have a premium robot sibling option set for launch next year? That\u2019s a big test of household budgets.<\/p>\n

Third, Siri has to be good. A robot arm that turns toward you only matters if there\u2019s something worth saying to it once it\u2019s looking. The HomeView ad does show how it can fit into a chaotic family household, but if my iPhone\u2019s Siri response time is anything to go by, those pauses between people asking questions and getting answers would actually leave some awkward silences.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s just a screen on your countertop, that can be forgiven. But when you make it a companion, it has to be near-instantaneous. The arm, ironically, is probably the least important component of this device when it comes to actually using it.<\/p>\n

Who should care?<\/p>\n

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\"Apple\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Gurman\u2019s report uses the word \u201ccompanion,\u201d and I couldn\u2019t agree more. For the past decade, smart home devices have been appliances \u2014 helpful, static and furniture-adjacent.<\/p>\n

This robot arm is the moment the real hub is elevated above being just a screen with a speaker, but a feeling that something in your house knows you walked in.<\/p>\n

Are people going to be comfortable with this? That\u2019s something we\u2019ll find out. Apple\u2019s $299 HomeView is a slightly high, but rational price for a smart display, and it\u2019ll get the software updates the robot needs anyway.<\/p>\n

This rumored arm version is for a different person entirely: the smart-home early adopter with a spouse who\u2019s stopped asking where the money went, and the Apple watcher reading the tea leaves.<\/p>\n

So to figure this out, I turn to you, dear reader!<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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