Retail News CRM

Tag: smart devices

  • Apple Launches $299 HomeView Smart Display in Siri AI Connected Home Push

    Apple Launches $299 HomeView Smart Display in Siri AI Connected Home Push

    Apple rolled out its HomeView smart display on Tuesday priced from $299. The device aims to revive the company’s connected home division with upgraded Siri artificial intelligence features.

    Shipments of the 7-inch touchscreen begin next month. The hardware incorporates facial recognition to control doorbells, thermostats and digital locks across household networks.

    The display resembles the arm-mounted screen of Apple’s classic sunflower iMac desktop. It displays customized app icons based on which resident stands in front of the camera. Voice control through Siri handles primary navigation rather than manual taps, tying the hardware directly to Apple’s home operating environment.

    Hardware specifications and partner accessories

    Alongside HomeView, Apple updated its HomePod smart speaker and Apple TV set-top box. To solve peripheral compatibility hurdles that stalled previous smart home initiatives, Apple partnered with South Korea’s LG and European industrial group Schneider Electric to release companion doorbells, indoor cameras and smart thermostats tailored for the ecosystem.

    That collaboration aims to widen peripheral distribution through third-party retail channels and regional electronics chains. Apple has struggled to build standalone smart home market share in those venues over the past decade.

    Services revenue and platform competition

    Hardware expansion into residential hubs serves a broader financial target: sustaining subscription revenue across services including iCloud, Apple TV and Apple Pay. Visible Alpha Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence projects Apple’s annual services revenue will rise 12 per cent to $138 billion by 2027.

    Securing the living room countertop is essential for that growth curve. Smart displays act as persistent digital billboards inside consumer households, driving daily engagement with paid streaming and cloud storage platforms.

    Competitors hold an entrenched lead. Amazon expanded its smart hardware lineup last week with dedicated tablets running Alexa, backing an existing base of Echo smart speakers and Ring security systems. Artificial intelligence developer OpenAI is also exploring proprietary consumer devices.

    “Apple needs to demonstrate that its AI capabilities can deliver meaningful benefits beyond basic voice commands, simplifying everyday tasks and bringing greater intelligence to the home,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

    Upgraded Siri and multi-year AI deals

    Apple overhauled Siri’s underlying software architecture during its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year. That work leaned on a multi-year foundation model partnership signed with Google in January 2026. The upgraded assistant processes conversational commands locally and via secure cloud servers, matching query context across connected household devices.

    Retail availability begins across global markets in November 2026. Initial shipments will test consumer appetite for premium smart home displays against lower-cost alternatives.

  • LG’s new smart devices strengthen its IoT game

    LG’s new smart devices strengthen its IoT game

    Smart homes are often talked about in technology circles but it is a concept that is often assumed to be very far in the future. That may not be so as LG has launched some new home appliances in the Malaysian market that it hopes will jump-start its Internet of Things (IoT) ambitions.

    Running on its smart home technology called Smart ThinQ, LG has introduced two products:  the LG TWINwash washing machine and LG Smart InstaView refrigerator that leverage this technology to provide greater convenience to consumers.

    Using the Smart ThinQ on a smartphone, users would be able to remotely set their washing machine to do their laundry at a specific time so that they would be able to come home to a freshly washed load.

    Using the smart application, users also have greater control on the types of wash options, such as baby wear, denim, swimwear and many others that the washing machine can perform.

    In the case of refrigerators, LG said Smart ThinQ would help users monitor the temperature level of the fridge as well as set the appropriate temperature for the various compartments.

    Aside from monitoring and controlling, the other benefit brought on by smart home appliances using LG’s Smart ThinQ app is a feature called Smart Diagnosis. As the name implies, it is a diagnostic feature that can alert users if the system detects any breakdown in their appliance.

    In this way, the appliance gives the user an error code to denote the problem so it is identified before the technician comes over to fix it.

    Aiming high for IoT

    Malaysia is now the latest market in which LG is launching its new smart home-ready devices and LG is planning to launch even more smart devices next year, expanding its lineup to include smart air conditioners and air purifiers.

    LG Electronics Malaysia’s head of product department for home appliances and air conditioner Bon Jae Koo explains that LG has been focusing its efforts on improving life for its customers by launching new smart devices that are able to connect to the Internet.

    “Globally we are focused on developing home network solutions that can be implemented on our product lineup that includes refrigerators, washing machines, air purifiers and more,” he said.

    Koo explains that LG has been in the business of making devices for a long time and points towards his native South Korea where IoT is already adopted in the commercial segment. This includes smart mirrors within clothing stores that help you decide which item of clothing to buy by simulating what they look like on the person standing in front of it.

    “We are of the view that smart products that help optimise the temperature in the room, improve the wash cycle for clothes will result in better power consumption hence bringing greater cost savings to our customers.

    Lees ook: