Apple event on October 13: what to expect

A month after the iPhone Duo, there’s another Apple event on the calendar. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will introduce three new home products on Tuesday, October 13: the long-awaited smart home hub with a display, a new HomePod mini and a new Apple TV 4K. Apple hasn’t confirmed the event and no invitations have gone out yet, so everything below is based on rumours and leaks. Here’s what we know so far.

The smart home hub: a small iMac G4-style screen for the kitchen

The biggest news will be the smart home hub, a product that’s been talked about since 2024. Gurman says it has a square display of about 6 inches on a round metal base with speakers and microphones, connected by a polished arm. You can tilt the screen forwards and backwards, and the look is strongly reminiscent of the iMac G4 from 2002. There’s also a second version for mounting on the wall, with a flat base below the screen. Neither has a battery, so both need to stay plugged in via USB-C.

You’ll use the hub to control smart home devices, make FaceTime calls, send intercom messages around the house, play music and show photos. Apple also sees it as a kitchen helper for things like recipes and videos. It recognises who’s in front of it by voice or face and adjusts what it shows, and there’s a guest mode that hides personal information. Familiar apps such as Calendar, Messages, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Music and Podcasts are included. It’s expected to run a new operating system that may be called homeOS.

New HomePod mini: same design, new colours

The HomePod mini is expected to get a faster chip so it can handle the new Siri. Not much changes on the outside, but new colours are rumoured, including pink and green. Shipping times for the current model in the US have stretched to eight weeks, a familiar sign that stock is being run down ahead of a refresh.

Apple TV 4K: finally a new chip and Siri AI

The current Apple TV 4K dates from 2022 and still runs on the A15 chip. Leaked code points to a chip from the A19 family in the new model. More importantly, tvOS should finally get the new Siri. When the big updates shipped in September, tvOS and the HomePod software were the only ones left without Siri AI. There are also rumours that the new Apple TV can drive up to four HomePods for surround sound. A leaked image shows the design stays the same.

Why now?

All three products were originally planned for 2024. They were held back because Apple wanted to wait for the new Siri, which only shipped in September with iOS 27. It’s also the first big product launch under new CEO John Ternus that’s entirely about the home. Apple is also working on a pricier version of the hub with a larger screen on a rotating arm, and on a security camera, but neither is expected on October 13.

And after that: another round in late October

According to MacRumors, Apple plans to announce more products in the last week of October. Which ones hasn’t been confirmed, but an iPad mini with an OLED display, a new iMac and a MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen, both with the M6 chip, have been expected for a while. The iPhone Duo also goes on sale on October 23.

On October 13, you’ll find what Apple actually announced right here on WoodApplez.