Macworld
Apple’s newest device isn’t an Apple Watch or an iPhone or even an iPad—but it has elements of all three. Called HomeView, it’s a “personal” smart display designed to be the centerpiece of your home. The screen looks something like a giant Apple Watch, but it’s an entirely new device designed to be touched like an iPad, spun like an iMac G4, and spoken to like a smart speaker, all wrapped up in an adorable package that’s equally at home on a kitchen counter or end table.
You can scroll through the images below to see it in real life, but I wanted to spotlight a couple here too. When mounted on a wall with the wire hidden (no easy task), it looks elegant and futuristic, almost like a visionOS widget. It’s a little thick at nearly 10mm, but the brushed metal case and rounded corners add a sophistication you won’t get with an Echo Show.
Foundry
Of course, most people will opt for the base-attached HomeView, which is actually cheaper than the wall-mounted model when you factor in the cost of a mount and installation. And it’s adorable. It looks something like a mini robot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it gain wheels and the ability to automatically swivel when it hears a voice call for Siri. (Honest: Apple is already working on a device that can do that, and this design seems tailor-made for it.)
Foundry
It definitely has personality. There’s a little throwback to the iMac G4 in its design, but it’s also updated to fit today’s aesthetic. The only downside is that it needs to stay near an outlet, so it can’t really exist in the center of a table like Apple is demonstrating in its ads. But I’m kind of in love with its stubby little shape and can’t get enough of its cute footprint. I’ll be buying one.
Text by Michael Simon. All images by Britta O’Boyle for Macworld.