Apple HomeView

What hackers pick instead

• Home AssistantA free, open-source smart home hub that runs locally without cloud subscriptions and integrates almost any device, though setup takes real tinkering and technical skill.298recommend
• Zigbee2MQTTPeople recommend it as an open-source bridge that connects many Zigbee devices to MQTT and Home Assistant, often more reliably than alternatives. One critic notes it can use several hundred MB of RAM.16recommend
• HomebridgeLets non-HomeKit smart devices work in Apple Home, and people find it solid and handy for remote access without port forwarding.13recommend
• Home Assistant GreenPeople recommend it as a smooth, easy default for running Home Assistant at home, with few issues reported afterward. One commenter reported storage problems.6recommend
• Samsung SmartThingsRecommended as the best off-the-shelf smart home platform, especially inside its own ecosystem. Critics mainly object to new API fees and missing local control.5recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 276 comments. Each links to the original.

1. Going down to one voice system across all devices available in house and out of the house, easily, will be nice.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

2. The multiple users feature is a really neat trick, but I would kill to have this for all Apple devices.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

3. This device has on-chip support for multiple FaceID accounts so it can distinguish them securely.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

4. I could definitely see recommending this as an option to consolidate their ecosystems somewhat.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

5. The multiuser is not a feature of the iPad, and this alone means an iPad can't replicate this.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

6. Having a dedicated device like this gives others the ability to control home automations too.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

7. this is a product that helps everyone engage in some of the magic of tech without that noise

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

8. You get a no-nerdy interface to automate your smart home prebaked in every iPhone and tablet

   Recommends · May 2026 · in “Homebridge 2.0 is here, and it speaks Matter”

9. appeals to a lot of older people and busy parents who spend a lot of time in the kitchen

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

10. solving this problem in the Apple ecosystem has significant benefits for the user

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Ask HN: Apple HomeView. What problem is Apple Home solving?”

11. My in-laws are the direct customer for this product and will absolutely love it.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

12. It's the opposite of a power user app. It's like they built the features (rooms/etc) to support a lot of devices but only tested with like 5 devices.

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

13. Home app is extremely stupid, extremely limited, and requires a PhD in rocket science to figure out how to do anything with it

    Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing”

14. the port for the wall-mounted one is apparently in the middle of the back, so you'll have to take it off the wall

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

15. How are they pricing both versions the same while charging extra 80$ for the mount for the wall mounted version?

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

16. it's driven by Siri who is not a conversationalist AI, but still the same frustrating voice technology from 2011

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

17. I can't justify buying a product just for multi user support and have another bulky device sitting in the house.

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

18. functionally equivalent to, and quite possibly literally the same hardware as, a phone glued to a phone charger

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

19. I thought the "ping my keys" was cool until I took out my phone and asked Siri to "ping my keys" and it worked

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

20. It's a niche product and pretty cheap. Of course you can do everything and more on an ipad but I see this as basically a competitor to Alexa

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

21. My only complaint is that a truly environmentally friendly company (like Apple claims to be!) would make this OS available for old iPads.

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

22. it seems like it could be a good replacement for my OG HomePods while adding some new features, even if the screen is minimally useful

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

23. It'll be much easier to clean the Homeview's big screen vs trying to clean all of the nooks and crannies on a phone

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

24. I'll be happy to have a "dumbed down" stationary device that serves no purpose but exactly what it's intended for.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

25. Apple is splitting out a valuable use case that is confusing to people when lumped in to a "do everything" product

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

26. They could turn off all AI (turn off all of Siri even) and this would be one of the best products in the market.

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

27. Looks like a terrible TV/Movie playback device. But potentially a nice device to quickly glance at information

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

28. Personally it feels like some of the features in this have been researched with the audience who will buy it

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

29. I'd totally buy this if it supports other AI providers and apps! I trust Apple for the hardware quality

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

30. Kids can securely call who they are allowed to from a fixed location, not wandering off with a device.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

31. Aesthetically it immediately makes me think of a wall clock, which tells me exactly where it belongs.

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

32. These track down to the minute the sunrise/sunset times from the weather app data for your location.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Physicist Rigged His Pet Hamster's Wheel to Strava. It Runs Far Every Night”

33. If they gave this a battery, removed the base, and allowed apps boy that would be a killer product

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

34. it ties a whole family to one company's complete set of Hardware, Software and Service offerings

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

35. You can lock this thing down to your LAN and firewall everything off and it will still function.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

36. very few people have a hole in the middle of their kitchen island/counter to feed power through

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

37. Privacy invasion, yes. Expensive smart speaker yes, dumb down old iPad on an ugly stand yes.

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

38. I think it is a neat product with two strange limitations that I can't quite figure out

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

39. you can make a specialized product that is cheaper than an iPad for those who want it

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”

40. I can already see this being a decent option for kitchens that had a wall phone plate

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Apple HomeView”