Apple HomeView Sat Boxed in Warehouses for Months Amid Siri AI Delays

HomeView Units Waited Months for Software

Apple's HomeView smart home hub units have been sitting boxed up in warehouses "for the better part of a year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The hardware was ready long before the software that powers it, leaving finished devices in limbo while the company raced to complete the AI-driven Siri interface at the product's core.

The HomeView is set to reach consumers next month, but the delay has already dated the device in the eyes of observers. Social media posts from people who no longer work at Apple have expressed nostalgia for time spent developing the product. Among them is Carl Schoeller, who referenced HomeView screen brightness in a post and now identifies as an AI CEO rather than an Apple employee.

Siri AI Struggle Choked the Pipeline

Gurman first reported on Apple's work toward a smart home device with a screen back in 2023, describing it at the time as a "low-end iPad." Development continued for years, but the product had to be frozen while Apple struggled to build the AI-powered software interface. At one point, the company rented an AI model from Google to move forward.

The Siri delays have been a source of public frustration for Apple over the past two years, including a pulled advertisement and a $250 million settlement tied to AI iPhone features. Analysts have since begun to frame Apple's relatively low capital expenditure on AI as a strategic advantage, but the HomeView's warehouse limbo illustrates the costs the company absorbed along the way.

Hardware That Aged on the Shelf

By the time the HomeView ships, its internals will already be behind the curve. The device runs on Apple's A18 iPhone processor, which was cutting-edge two years ago, and ships with 8 gigabytes of memory. The design leans into throwback Apple aesthetics, with proportions and a thick black bezel that critics say call to mind iPads from eight years ago, alongside intentional nods to the Apple Watch and the iMac G4.

LG Partnership Adds Timing Risk

The HomeView launch is tied to the broader Apple Home Collection, which includes design collaborations with LG and Schneider Electric. The linkage may have seemed strategic in 2025, but the delayed release now places the HomeView in the middle of a privacy controversy surrounding LG. A viral YouTube video claimed that microphones on LG smart TVs pick up ambient audio around the clock, an allegation LG has denied. Apple likely would have preferred to avoid launching a smart home device alongside a partner facing that kind of scrutiny.

Sources: Gizmodo · Techmeme · Bloomberg · Appleinsider