Apple has confirmed an event called Welcome Home for October 13, and for once the rumors and the official framing actually agree on the subject. This one is about the home. Reports point to a presentation taking place in Tribeca, New York, at 9 in the morning Eastern time, with the focus expected to be new smart home hardware rather than the iPhone, the Mac or anything wearable.
Three products are widely expected to show up. A long rumored home hub, a refreshed HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV 4K. Apple has not confirmed names, prices or specifications for any of them ahead of the event, so everything below should be read as what is expected rather than what has been announced.
What is rumored for each device
- The home hub: Expected to combine a touch display, likely in the 6 to 7 inch range, with the kind of control center functions HomeKit already offers. Leaks mention an A18 chip inside and a possible shipping window in November, after the October reveal, with four color options.
- HomePod mini: Rumored to get new colors, Apple's own N1 chip for better Wi Fi and Bluetooth performance, and a newer S series processor meant to support more capable Siri features.
- Apple TV 4K: Expected to move to an A19 or A19 Pro chip, more memory, the same N1 networking chip as the HomePod mini, and an updated remote.
Pricing for the home hub has been rumored at around $349 for a base version, with a pricier variant mentioned at close to $449, though Apple has said nothing official yet. For context, Apple's existing HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K were both repriced earlier in 2026, with the HomePod mini moving up to $129 and the 64 GB Apple TV 4K to $199, so any new models are likely to launch at or above those numbers rather than below them.
iPhone Duo preorders open four days later
Separately from the home event, Apple has already locked in the schedule for its first foldable iPhone. US preorders for the Apple iPhone Duo open October 16 at 5 in the morning Pacific time, with the phone reaching stores on October 23. Apple has confirmed pricing for all four storage tiers.
That starting price sits about $700 above the 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro Max, placing the Duo in a tier of its own above the rest of the iPhone lineup rather than simply as the most expensive Pro Max option. It comes in two finishes, Star White and Night Sky, and Apple is also offering it through monthly financing at $83.29 a month over 24 months for buyers who do not want to pay the full amount up front.
Taken together, the next two weeks give Apple two separate moments in the spotlight, a smart home reveal on October 13 followed by preorders for its most expensive iPhone yet just three days later. We will have full coverage of whatever Apple actually announces once the event happens.
