Apple ‘Welcome Home’ Event Set for Next Week With First Smart Home Hub and More Expected; Could Host Another Event in Late October

Apple will host another event next week, dubbed ‘Welcome Home', the Cupertino-based tech giant announced on Thursday. A company executive also published a video teasing the event. The name and teaser of the ‘Welcome Home' event suggest that the tech giant will be unveiling its new range of smart home and entertainment devices during the keynote presentation. Rumours regarding the company's first smart home hub, the second-generation HomePod Mini, and the new Apple TV 4K set-top box have been surfacing online for months. Apple is reportedly planning to host another event at the end of October

Apple ‘Welcome Home' Event Set to Take Place on October 13

In a post on X, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, announced that the Cupertino-based tech giant will host the ‘Welcome Home' event on October 13. The teaser video suggests that the company could be preparing to unveil the rumoured smart home devices during the event. Separately, YouTube creator and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) shared an image of the invite Apple is sending to the media.

The ‘Welcome Home' event will take place in Tribeca, New York, and will commence at 9 am ET (6:30 pm IST). Apple is expected to livestream the event via its YouTube channel. During the ‘Welcome Home' event, the company is expected to launch its first smart home hub, along with the HomePod Mini (2026) and the Apple TV 4K (2026).

However, this could be the first of the two events the company is planning to host this month. According to a Bloomberg report, Apple will host the second event on October 27. The event will reportedly witness the launch of Apple's first MacBook model with a touchscreen, the new MacBook Pro with the M6 chipset, the next-generation iMac with the M6 chip upgrade, and the new iPad Mini model. The MacBook with a touchscreen could be marketed as the MacBook Ultra. However, the company has yet to confirm these details.

To recap, Apple's smart home hub is said to sport a 6-inch or 7-inch square-shaped touchscreen, which could be attached to its round base. The base is expected to feature a built-in speaker setup, too. The smart home device will reportedly ship with Siri AI capabilities and Apple's A18 chipset. It could be the heart of Apple's new smart device ecosystem.

Apart from this, Apple's first smart home hub will reportedly feature a front-facing camera for FaceTime. The tech giant has developed a new operating system for the new device. It could be offered in a tabletop version with built-in speakers and a wall-mounted model. Meanwhile, the second-generation HomePod Mini is said to get a new chipset to enable Siri AI, along with the new N1 networking chip. Lastly, the Apple 4K TV (2026) set-top box might also debut with Siri AI and a new chipset.