An update to my earlier post on HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K shipping today (linked below). 9to5Mac says both are officially available now: some pre-orders have arrived, and you can walk into an Apple Store for select configurations.
HomeView is $299, in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray, either on a stand or as a wall-mount. If you order from Apple for delivery, all four colors are backordered to the first week of December. 9to5Mac says most Apple Stores appear to have same-day pickup today, especially in silver and starlight, and Amazon has immediate delivery in some colors, with silver slipping later this month.
The new Apple TV 4K is also $299, with the A19 chip and built-in far-field microphones so you can talk to Siri without the remote. It supports Siri AI, and 9to5Mac notes that Siri AI is also coming to the second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K over a software update. The headline audio feature is four-speaker surround, which needs four HomePod (2nd generation) or HomePod mini 2 speakers in matching front and rear pairs. Apple’s own delivery dates for the new box are likewise backordered to early December; stores have walk-in stock, and Amazon is quoting delivery as early as this weekend. The new Siri Remote, with a speaker and Find My Precision Finding, is also sold separately.
I already wrote last night about the other launch-week catch: HomeView’s Siri still can’t unlock doors or open a garage, with a software fix promised in December. That’s here.
My take
Friday is here, and “available” still depends on whether you can pick it up today or you’re waiting until December. I’d walk into a store only if I already wanted one, and I’d still wait on that Siri fix before I treated HomeView as a door controller. If your current Apple TV is fine, this isn’t an emergency upgrade.
God Bless, and Happy hacking!
