Apple is expected to unveil its smrt home hub alongside two other smart home-related products on Tuesday, October 13, and leaker “pdfu” has revealed that the hub may be available in up to four finishes: Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, and Rose Pink.
MacRumors reported the same four colors were found in the code for the macOS 26.7 Release Candidate back in August.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said that the new home hub will be available in “Apple’s standard gray aluminum finish.” However, he did not mention any other color options for the device, so we just have to wait and see if the other three colors materialize.
Gurman says the home hub will boast a roughly 6-inch square display and will be available in both tabletop and wall-mounted versions. The tabletop model’s screen reportedly has a polished metal arm that connects to a metal, round base with perforated speaker holes, similar to the 2002 iMac G4.
Gurman described the design as follows:
The hub is about as thick as an iPhone, and its display is surrounded by a quarter-inch, black bezel reminiscent of older iPads. It has rounded corners and no sharp edges. The device lacks a battery, so it has to be plugged in at all times, and there are no volume or power buttons.
The product comes in Apple’s standard gray aluminum finish and includes a USB-C port for power. The screen sits above a metal, round base with multiple rings of perforated speaker holes and connects to it through a polished metal arm. Users can manually tilt the display forward or backward. And the base has a rubberized bottom to help it stay on a table.
The standard version looks reminiscent of the famous iMac G4 from 2002 that has a large display that sits on a half-dome-shaped base.
Apple has also developed a second version, code-named J491, designed to be mounted on a wall. It has a thin, square-shaped base beneath the display that houses the speakers and microphones. The base sits flat on the wall below the screen. This version also must remain connected to power through a USB-C cable.
Gurman also says the device’s operating system is an entirely new one, based on the Apple TV’s tvOS platform. The interface is described as a cross between tvOS, watchOS, and iOS. The screens will sport icons, widgets, and apps, as well as customizable clock faces.
Built-in facial recognition allows the hub to identify who is looking at the display resulting in personalized information. As a user approaches the hub, or moves away from it, the size of the interface elements will change.
Other features include FaceTime videoconferencing, home security monitoring and an intercom system for households with multiple Apple home devices.
Apple is also planning an advanced in-home security camera dubbed J450, aimed at competing with Amazon’s Ring, according to Gurman.