Apple Reportedly Developing Premium HomeView Smart Home Hub Featuring 9-Inch Swiveling Display and Robotic Arm for 2027 or 2028 Launch

The latest details regarding the robotic 9-inch HomeView build upon a series of rapid leaks and announcements that surfaced throughout October 2026. Just two days prior to Apple’s official "Welcome home" experience in New York, Gurman published a comprehensive leak detailing 16 distinct specifications across Apple’s upcoming home ecosystem updates. That report accurately foreshadowed the unveiling of the touch-enabled HomeView hub, while also pointing to refreshed companion hardware, including a second-generation HomePod mini 2 and a new Apple TV 4K.

The timeline of leaks surrounding Apple’s smart home initiative illustrates an evolving design roadmap across recent months. On September 30, 2026, initial reports from Gurman revealed that Apple was testing a smart home hub featuring an aesthetic reminiscent of the classic iMac G4. Those early reporting details suggested that the hardware would center around a square 6-inch display, with Apple exploring multiple physical form factors, including variants meant for placement on a countertop as well as models designed to be mounted directly onto a wall.

Those early September reports also highlighted specific component choices for the base smart display unit. The early design descriptions noted a single front-facing FaceTime camera paired with an array of integrated microphones and speakers built into a connected base structure. As those leaks progressed into October, the detailed picture of Apple’s immediate release plans came into clearer focus, culminating in the October 13 announcement of the fixed 7-inch Liquid Retina HomeView alongside Siri AI capabilities.

The shift in reported display sizes across Apple’s development cycle reveals a distinct progression in hardware engineering. While late September leaks pointed toward a compact, square 6-inch panel, the consumer model announced in mid-October arrived with a slightly larger 7-inch Liquid Retina display. The newly reported robotic variant represents another step up in display real estate, moving to a 9-inch screen size that provides significantly more visual area for smart home controls, video calls, and media playback.

Beyond display dimensions, the inclusion of a robotic articulation system represents a fundamentally distinct product category within Apple’s smart home architecture. By mounting a 9-inch panel onto a base equipped with a 360-degree rotating robotic arm, the higher-end HomeView would be able to continuously orient its display and FaceTime camera toward active users in a room. This motorized tracking capability contrasts directly with the static form factor of the 7-inch base model, which relies entirely on fixed viewing angles.