Apple presents the HomeView, a 7-inch home automation hub with Siri AI for $299 and that does not reach the EU

Apple has put all the meat on the grill this October 13 with four launches for the home. However, the most absolute protagonist of the day will not arrive in Europe. That’s right, your new home automation hub, which arrives under the name of HomeViewwill not be sold in the European Union. According to the company, the reason is that Siri IA, the assistant it relies on, is not yet available on iOS within this market, although according to Brussels that is not its fault.

Leaving this question aside, we are looking at a screen 7-inch Liquid Retina on a dome-shaped base, where the speaker goes. Now, it is also hung on the wall in a separate version.

The device recognizes the faces of up to six people and, from there, each one sees their own home screen with their apps and widgets and accesses their Messages, Calendar and FaceTime. Shared albums and common music, on the other hand, are enjoyed by the entire household, including guests.

This is the HomeView and its specifications

When we reviewed the technical sheet, we missed some things. For example, Apple has not confirmed other details, such as front camera resolution, memory, wireless connectivity, weight or dimensions. Nor has it given a date, not even an approximate one, for its arrival in the EU.

Siri AI is the cornerstone, although we still depend on the iPhone

Here is one of the key points. With a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI can draw on your personal contextsuch as Calendar or Messages, as long as the device is nearby and has recently been unlocked. Now, without this device, you are limited to general knowledge, conversations and musical discovery. There is no doubt that Apple is looking for nothing more than to further strengthen its ecosystem and dependence on the iPhone.

Another point is that, for now, Siri AI arrives in beta, only in English and in eight countries (USA, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom). As if that were not enough, Apple warns that functions with server models have daily limits and that expanding this access will be paid in the future.

HomeKit integration is also very important on this device. Inside the house, the screen shows up to nine cameras at the same time and, with compatible cameras and iCloud+, recognizes people, pets, packages and vehicles.

It also detects smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and notifies the iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. By the way, Apple has insisted that it works with the new Apple Home Collection, presented today along with the Apple TV 4K and the HomePod mini 2, two devices that will be sold in Spain.

It is not as expensive a product as we expected.

As things stand, the price issue has surprised us, but this time for the better. For starters, the HomeView costs $299 in its two versions. Of course, the wall one requires a Schneider Home support that is purchased separately for a price starting at $59.95. With the supports, the set costs between approximately $359 and $429.

For reference, Amazon’s Echo Show 8 has a recommended price of 219 euros, although it is almost always on sale, and the 11-inch Echo Show costs 269 euros. Of course, prices in the United States do not include taxes and European prices include VAT. Be that as it may, it is not an excessively expensive product and even less so taking into account the increases that Apple has made in other much more affordable products in its catalog.