Apple to reveal its smart home strategy, with a Mac and iPad event in late October

Apple is ready to show a new smart home strategy and close the most conspicuous hole in its ecosystem, according to Bloomberg. Mark Gurman said so on October 12, 2026, in the Power On edition on Bloomberg Tech. Three stories converged in one broadcast: a home platform, a fall Mac and iPad event closer to the end of October, and plans to show the iPhone Duo in retail stores.

A caveat up front: we have only the announcement for the episode, not a full transcript. It names no hardware, prices or sale dates. Anything beyond that wording is labeled below as context, not as confirmed fact.

What was said about the smart home

Bloomberg's wording is blunt: Apple is trying to plug a "big hole" in its ecosystem. Apple controls the phone, watch, tablet, laptop and TV set-top box, yet the home remains its weak spot. It has the HomePod, Apple TV and the Home app, but no device that serves as the center of home life the way Amazon's Echo Show or Google's Nest Hub does.

Gurman previously reported that Apple is working on a home screen hub and a broader lineup of home products, with the timing tied to the Siri update. For now that is only context. The announcement for the episode does not say what exactly Apple will show this time.

What else is on the agenda

The second topic is the Mac and iPad event. According to Gurman, the new details about it concern the end of October. The company's calendar fits the usual fall rhythm: after the September iPhones, it is the turn of computers and tablets.

The third topic is more intriguing. As the description puts it, Apple is pushing to demo the iPhone Duo in its stores. The announcement does not say what kind of device this is or in what configuration it will be shown. But the very attempt to put the product on display suggests the company is counting on shoppers getting hands-on time with it. Most likely, this is a device with an unconventional form factor that is hard to sell from pictures.

What is known so far

• Source: Mark Gurman, Bloomberg, Power On edition of October 12, 2026, hosted by Ed Ludlow.
• Smart home: Apple is "ready to present" a strategy; the format of the announcement has not been disclosed.
• Mac and iPad: an event closer to the end of October.
• iPhone Duo: Apple is trying to arrange demos in retail stores.
• Not confirmed: names of home devices, prices, sale dates, lineup composition.

Why the home matters right now

The home has become a battleground for AI assistants. Amazon is rebuilding Alexa around generative models, and Google is moving its home devices to Gemini. For Apple, the question is whether an updated Siri can become a full voice interface for the home, not just a timer and a way to control lamps. Without a strong assistant, even a good-looking hub ends up as just a screen.

The second factor is privacy. Apple traditionally sells on-device data processing. In a home where cameras, microphones and sensors run around the clock, that argument may work better than it does on a phone.

What to watch next

Shoppers planning to upgrade their smart home would be wise to wait until the end of October rather than buy new speakers or displays now. Accessory developers should watch Matter support and whether HomeKit gets new APIs. Competitors will have to weigh three things: the hub's price, how deeply it integrates with the iPhone, and how smart Siri turns out to be in practice.

For now, all of this is expectation. The real picture will emerge when Apple shows the devices and names the prices.