Apple just entered the smart display market, and the pitch is almost entirely Siri.
The company unveiled HomeView, a screen meant to show you things Siri would otherwise only say out loud, like timers, photos, video calls, and smart home controls. Apple is selling two versions, both priced at $299, with availability set for November. The announcement did not detail specs such as screen size or camera resolution. HomeView is built around the AI-powered Siri Apple has been promising.
Amazon and Google have sold screen-equipped smart speakers for years without making either device central to anyone's daily routine. Apple arriving this late only works if the AI assistant underneath is actually good, and that is the part of this launch nobody outside Cupertino can judge yet. A $299 price, pricier than typical screen speakers from those rivals, is a bet that brand and software will do the convincing anyway.
Apple is, in effect, asking buyers to pre-order faith in a Siri rebuild it hasn't fully proven yet.