Apple ‘Welcome home’ on October 13: start time and how to follow it

Apple confirmed on October 8, via Greg Joswiak, that new products arrive on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. It won’t be a classic keynote: some press are invited to New York for hands-on time, per MacRumors.

What time?

• 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT, 6 a.m. PT, 3 p.m. Paris) is when the New York press sessions start, and announcements may land then.
• Apple has not confirmed a livestream. MacRumors expects press releases on the day; AppleInsider floats a possible prerecorded video. Watch Apple Newsroom and the Apple Events page.

What might be announced (rumors)

• A home hub with a ~6-inch display, in wall-mount and speaker-base versions, driven by Siri, with a FaceTime camera and smart home controls. AppleInsider reports it may be called “HomeView”; MacRumors mentions pricing around $350.
• A refreshed HomePod mini: new colors, a faster chip and the N1 networking chip (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread), per rumors.
• Apple TV 4K with an A19 or A19 Pro chip, more RAM and N1.

None of this is official until Tuesday. Macs and an OLED iPad mini are rumored for a separate late-October launch.

Why it matters for a smart home

A HomePod mini or Apple TV with Thread acts as a border router for Matter accessories. If you run Apple Home alongside Home Assistant, that’s the spec to check on Tuesday. Our launch story: Apple ‘Welcome home’: the October 13 smart home event. We’ll publish a recap as soon as the news drops.

Sources: MacRumors, AppleInsider.