The Vergecast · Friday, October 2, 2026
Rumors suggest Apple is preparing to launch a new smart home device, potentially called the 'HomePod' or a similar smart display, by October 13th. Key features are expected to include personalized interfaces based on facial recognition and enhanced Siri capabilities. However, questions remain about Siri's current AI maturity and the device's ability to seamlessly integrate with a diverse third-party smart home ecosystem, an area where Apple has historically imposed strict standards.
“There's rumors this week that Apple will announce something that everyone keeps calling the HomePad on October 13th. I really do not want them to call this the home pad.”
“But the big feature that he's been reporting is it will recognize the people walking up to it and then personalize interface. And then obviously... This is, I think, a theme of this episode, it might be just a theme of our lives now, is Apple believes Siri AI is now capable enough to be the kind of assistants that you would put in your house and then do things for you.”
“The problem is, yes, you might have a bunch of stuff in HomeKit, but then you've got one weird set of devices that isn't in HomeKit. And then maybe you're me, and you've got a little, I'm like looking at it, it's on the floor over there, my little raspberry pie, like baby rack that is bridging a bunch of stuff through HomeBridge into HomeKit so my wife can use it on her phone.”