Apple's 2026 Home Hub Could Cost $350

[Rade0]

That’s all great except that I am failing to find decent product to hook up to my HomeKit and when I do like with the eufy security camera I don’t have as much control on HomeKit as on their app … So maybe they should push for more integration and compatibility …

Similar situation here.

I’ve got my security system perfected with Ring devices - not just cameras but motion sensors, window sensors etc etc. Thousands worth of kit PLUS may hours of DIY to get everything perfected.

None of it works with Apple without a home assistant bridge which lets be fair 99.9999 of people aren’t going to do anything like. Shout out to HA actually because it works really well for a shoe-in.

It will also take “generations” of smart home upgrades and new users for a new player to make a dent in the market IMO.

I suspect I’m not the only one that completely disregarded HomeKit from the offset as the only devices that worked with it early on were craaazy expensive. Like instead of generic smart bulbs for a couple of bucks it was Phillips bulbs at 70 bucks a pop. Got a dozen kitchen spotlights? That’ll be the best part of a grand just for one room!

In the long run (decade) I think an Apple home ecosystem would become mainstream and pay off big - once you start getting into smart stuff and crack what to look for in devices as a consumer (e.g. “If it says matter it will work with my home assistant”, or more likely “if it says smart life it will work with my Alexa”) then suddenly you’re addicted.

You go from smart bulb > smart plug > motion sensors >moisture sensors etc etc, and it’s all about what “fits in” to what you have. And for a lot of people, HomeKit just doesn’t fit.

That said they’re doing things right at this point by (finally…) promoting a popular open standard, so cheap devices that will “fit in” and evolving the controlling systems ie the home app, so that they will become the gateway for a lot of people and can as they do with their other gateway positions, steer users towards their stuff.

You go from smart bulb > smart plug > motion sensors >moisture sensors etc etc. so there’s a lot of potential “stuff” to be sold in future generations!

 

[Kidseeghost]

I’m team de-smart home. Appliances, cameras, doorbells, etc all being one update away from bricking or pay walling you which some do already. Then when the tech gets “upgraded” you gotta buy a new one making expensive items disposable after a few years. Now companies will only build stuff to last the same amount of years before failing all while charging you more for less and stealing your data.

Still boggles my mind how many people have cameras inside their home. Why on earth do you record your living room 24/7?

I agree. The devices will probably be updated for a max of five years, and then you have to buy new ones because the old ones became e waste. People are even putting cameras on their TVs these days. Why? If I could I would avoid smart home appliances and mass surveillance home assistant speakers (you don't need those if you have a phone). Just look at Samsung and them doing ads on refrigerators now and how other companies will probably use your data in a much worse way.

 

[idrewuk]

Couldn’t think of anything worse than having a Google or Alexa home. Ditched Nest a long time ago, and my friend recently bought a giant Alexa tablet that goes on the wall (no idea what the model is called) but it has one side of the screen reserved for rolling adverts. I honestly couldn’t believe that when I saw it. No wonder they probably make a loss on selling these things.

 

[East India Company]

Apple doesn't allow those to serve as a Home Hub.

I think that’s what he meant. Apple should allow it like it was possible some years ago with an iPad to act like a home hub.
Very annoying that they quietly scrapped this feature just to sell us a HomePod or Apple TV that we don’t need.

 

[_iCeb0x_]

I'm convinced Apple does no market research anymore. Zero. Like what is this? Do they know they already sell iPads... that are mobile or stationary?

Yeah, exactly what I wanted to say!

What can this contraption do, that we already can’t do with an iPad? If you want your iPad to be stationary, just get a stand!

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

isnt this just an ipad?

“We think you’re gonna love it!”

 

[erihp]

I have a very established smart home that consists of both Home Assistant and Alexa. While I dont like Alexa too much it's very compatible and Home Assistant is amazing. I have everything from lights, to cameras, to smart blinds, to sensors and thermostats, I have tons of automations set up and to be fair it's all working pretty amazingly.

Where does the Apple Home thingy fit into all this other than looking interesting on my coffee table?

You realize that you can integrate home assistant with Apple Home and control everything natively without Amazon involved, right? So many reasons to get away from Amazon acting as the front end. Plus you’ve already got the ‘hard part’ done with the HA backend.

 

[polyphenol]

Looks like it wouldn't take much to revise the aesthetics to...

 

[svanstrom]

They took away they ability to use the iPad as a home hub and now we know why. They want us to spend another 300+ for another product.

Not everything is an evil capitalistic conspiracy.

It just doesn't make for a good product if people buy into a new smart home, and then it stops working whenever their kid is playing games on the iPad out of reach of the wifi.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Feels a bit like Apple are flogging a dead horse tbh. They were late to the party with their HomeKit stuff and entered the market with much more expensive devices. Most people, myself included, had already either invested in Amazon or Google home products and thats the way it has been for me since about 2018. I have a Ring camera system around my house and an Echo setup. There is no way I would scrap all that for Apple's, especially when they have a habit of discontinuing devices and services if sales are poor. I think most people stick with what they know at this point.

 

[svanstrom]

Still boggles my mind how many people have cameras inside their home. Why on earth do you record your living room 24/7?

Calm down, grandpa. It's not all how it looks inside your head.

My indoor cameras digitally activates and physically move into position only when I'm not at home, and they then detect if mail arrives, a neighborhood cat accidentally got itself locked in, unknown people, fires, or alarms going off.

 

[skit911]

Apple is so late to the party. Seriously a home is something you upgrade one time typically and stick to the standard. And it’s hard to roll back and rebuy for a new standard. Right now my home came with ring and Amazon echo and everything is tied to that now (security, keypad, garage door, vacuum, washer/dryer). With house prices are I am not raring to buy another home. It would cost thousands just to look cute with a new HomePod when these home hubs have been around for a decade. Apple should have iterated quickly instead of their usual practice of waiting until they perfect that model.

My only nonAmazon is my google nest thermostat I recently upgraded (4th gen) for the sensors and the temp settings are superior to ecobee and Honeywell. I tried using matter standard with my HomePod but it doesn’t work.

That’s your opinion.

I went from Google Home to Alexa to Siri.

Also changed from Wyze to Ring to HKSV

 

[skit911]

Feels a bit like Apple are flogging a dead horse tbh. They were late to the party with their HomeKit stuff and entered the market with much more expensive devices. Most people, myself included, had already either invested in Amazon or Google home products and thats the way it has been for me since about 2018. I have a Ring camera system around my house and an Echo setup. There is no way I would scrap all that for Apple's, especially when they have a habit of discontinuing devices and services if sales are poor. I think most people stick with what they know at this point.

Amazon thanks you for your contributions to its data collection and AI efforts.

 

[skit911]

Apple lost the smart home battle a long, long time ago. Although I'm unsure if "battle" is the right word, they really didn't put up much of a fight. I still own many Apple products, and I honestly can't even remember the last time I used Siri or Apple HomeKit. My home is all Google and Amazon services/products for smart home tech...including the Google Nest Hub Max that I've owned for many years, and Apple is just now perhaps going to make something similar.

I really don’t understand how so many people are so fine with having the two biggest data collection companies INSIDE THEIR HOME with microphones and cameras sprinkled everywhere.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Amazon thanks you for your contributions to its data collection and AI efforts.

All companies who produce these types of devices, be it Google, Amazon or Apple are all collecting our data. I am not naive believe it or not.

 

[olavsu1]

I don't think it's worth rushing ahead of time. The spaceship "Axiom" hasn't been built yet //I guess they haven't even started designing it...

 

[darthbane2k]

Another simple product that the world’s ‘most valuable company’ is taking way too long to get to market. There’s simply no excuse.

 

[TheOldChevy]

A new sunflower iMac ?

 

[Mr_Ed]

Apple is so late to the party. Seriously a home is something you upgrade one time typically and stick to the standard. And it’s hard to roll back and rebuy for a new standard. Right now my home came with ring and Amazon echo and everything is tied to that now (security, keypad, garage door, vacuum, washer/dryer). With house prices are I am not raring to buy another home. It would cost thousands just to look cute with a new HomePod when these home hubs have been around for a decade. Apple should have iterated quickly instead of their usual practice of waiting until they perfect that model.

My only nonAmazon is my google nest thermostat I recently upgraded (4th gen) for the sensors and the temp settings are superior to ecobee and Honeywell. I tried using matter standard with my HomePod but it doesn’t work.

I think this is the truth for most people. I think few of us who have already implemented some kind of home automation solution are likely to throw it away just because Apple wants to play in that market. That leaves the many who have not dabbled in hime automation, but IMHO the state of home automation devices is such that it still feels like you are rolling the dice when you try to add a device. The odds of you having a trouble-free experience that performs like you expected are not great. Your best chance of a good experience is by having all devices/hubs from the same manufacturer. Apple having a hub device that should work with every other manufacturer’s devices won’t materially improve the risky nature of home automation interoperability.

 

[bluecoast]

I'll be counting on Siri for security at my home. Should I have insurance?

(just kidding)

'Siri, could you turn the hall light on please?'

'I have activated your home's self destruct sequence. Please evacuate to a safe distance as soon as possible.'

 

[sflagel]

Big “it’s just a big iPod touch” vibes in here.

I’m not saying this product will or will not be successful. But it is funny seeing people saying this is just an iPad on a stand, when people were making the same kinds of comments about the iPad in 2010.

The statements in 2010 turns out to be correct….

 

[klasma]

I think that’s what he meant. Apple should allow it like it was possible some years ago with an iPad to act like a home hub.
Very annoying that they quietly scrapped this feature just to sell us a HomePod or Apple TV that we don’t need.

I agree, but they don’t want to make something a Home Hub that people will take with them outside the home, breaking the Home Hub functionality like automations. If they ever make a portable HomePod mini with battery, that won’t be Home-Hub-capable either. The point of the “HomePad” is to have a guaranteed-stationary touchscreen device.

 

[Kidseeghost]

Not everything is an evil capitalistic conspiracy.

It just doesn't make for a good product if people buy into a new smart home, and then it stops working whenever their kid is playing games on the iPad out of reach of the wifi.

People were using their old iPads as home hubs and why would it stop working as a home hub as long the iPad is in the house. Apple had all the data and they knew if they want this new HomePad to succeed and sell units they have to take away the ability for the iPad to do the same thing as the HomePad. Its not evil, it was a strategic decision. A HomePod dock station or mount for the iPad would have been the better and environmentally friendlier decision than a new tablet version.

 

[Kidseeghost]

The statements in 2010 turns out to be correct….

Yes kind of. There is a reason why iPad sales peaked in 2013. The iPad was just a bigger iPhone/iPod touch at the beginning. The pencil support made it useful for students and the keyboard made it look like a Mac alternative but the OS was and still is holding the iPad back. By now every iPad Pro should have been able to run MacOS while docked on the keyboard while the regular iPad should have stayed a tablet without keyboard accessories. But doing this will kill MacBook sales.

 

[parasight]

The MacRumors editors seem to have forgotten about this fascinating study called ELEGNT that Apple published about a tabletop lamp with lifelike behavior earlier this year: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/06/apple-prototypes-tabletop-robot/.

Why is this never mentioned besides in that one article? I understand it seems a bit unlikely that Apple would willingly reveal something so important to the USP of a new device, but this does give some insight into the kinds of things they’re working on. We may see parts of this in a HomePod with a robotic arm, and that seems worth a mention.