Apple Confirms HomeView Hub, Apple TV and HomePod Mini; Ledger Confirms Wallet Hardware Implant

Apple's HomeView Leads a Smart Home Push

Apple is preparing to launch a smart home display hub called HomeView, along with a new Apple TV and HomePod mini, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The countertop HomeView with a speaker base will come in space gray, silver, starlight and pink, while a wall-mounted version will be offered in space gray and silver. Gurman explains that Apple chose HomeView rather than HomePad because the device is meant to be looked at and controlled primarily with the voice; touch is supported, but it is not the point of the product.

The HomeView is expected to ship around mid-November and will run a limited set of Apple apps with no App Store, placing Siri and connected accessories at the center of the experience. Apple is also working with LG and Schneider on second-party accessories. On chips, the HomeView uses a standard A18, the new Apple TV moves to a standard A19 from the A15, and the HomePod mini steps up to the S10 from the S5.

Launch Dates, Apple TV Features and the iPad Mini

The new Apple TV and HomePod mini are on track to arrive October 30, with preorders opening the week of the unveiling, described by reports as a Welcome Home event on October 13. Gurman says Apple has tested two features for the upgraded Apple TV: built-in microphones in the set-top box for hands-free Siri AI without the remote, and a refreshed remote with a speaker for Find My. The new HomePod mini will come in midnight, green, white, blue and pink.

Separately, Gurman reports that Apple's upcoming OLED iPad mini will be considerably more expensive than today's $599 model, with his guess closer to $799, along with an A20 Pro chip, a relocated FaceTime camera and a revamped speaker system. Apple is also planning large in-store iPhone Duo demos, with more than 150 demo units expected at its Fifth Avenue store for the October 23 launch and nearly 100 at the Apple Park Visitor Center.

Ledger Confirms Hardware Implant Behind Wallet Theft

Hardware wallet maker Ledger confirmed that one impacted user's device contained an unauthorized hardware implant, linking the discovery to a theft of more than $86 million drained from hundreds of wallets. Ledger said the affected devices were sold by reseller CryptoBilis, which it has halted as a Southeast Asian reseller, and reports of tampered wallets have spread to Europe. Ledger says it is reaching out to impacted users as the investigation continues and has invited information through its bounty program.

Qualcomm Eyes 100B-Parameter AI Phones by 2028

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon says AI companies are starting to do phones and are asking the chipmaker to support running 100-billion-parameter local large language models continuously by 2028. In a wide-ranging interview, Amon discussed the China versus US AI sentiment, how AI is changing smartphones and wearables, Qualcomm's data center strategy and what 6G will unlock, arguing that phones are not going away and that agents will draw on personal context.

Other Developments

In other news, Bloomberg examines China's bid to turn excess wind and solar energy into an AI edge through a $3.9 trillion grid buildout through 2049, after roughly 9% of renewable output was wasted in 2026. NVIDIA committed $1 billion to advance US science over the next five years. The US has restored the UK AISI's access to the latest US models for safety testing after ordering OpenAI and Anthropic to stop sharing models last month. Silicon Valley leaders including Elon Musk, Marc Benioff, Satya Nadella and Jensen Huang have also adopted the term super intelligence, with Benioff announcing AIForce is officially SIForce.

Sources: Techmeme