alt Hacker NewsI can’t believe nobody’s brought this up yet, but the HomeView fundementally exists for one reason: to be a Matter hub for smarthome stuff. No iPad – or any portable Apple device - can be configured as a home hub for managing Matter-protocol devices. There’s no significant advantage to a HomeView over an iPad if you don’t have any Matter devices.
That’s why this device has multi-user support: you’re only supposed to have one of them, which everyone uses. The Apple TV also has good multi-user support, because Apple doesn’t expect you to connect one Apple TV per user to your television.
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But if you already owned an apple tv or home pod, then they already double as a matter and thread hub and you can manage all of apple home from your phone or ipad. Is this being marketed to a family with absolutely no other apple devices?
Any portable device as a Matter hub would be pretty useless.
The Apple TV and Homepod mini already support Matter.
>No iPad – or any portable Apple device - can be configured as a home hub for managing Matter-protocol devices.
hasn't apple been shipping thread radios in devices for a few years now, with no actual use for them? the only thing blocking iPads from being a home hub for managing matter protocol devices is that apple hasn't turned that feature on.
Apple TV and HomePod have supported acting as a relay for years, but IIRC only if you have another Apple device to use the Home app on.
But I have a HomePod mini that I use for all of my Matter devices, why would I need a massive device with a screen just for that?
The only difference I can see is multiuser support of which Siri works just fine for me controlling the matter devices in the house that are on my partners Apple account. I can't justify buying a product just for multi user support and have another bulky device sitting in the house.
Apple would've been better off putting a FaceID camera in a Homepod mini or Homepod to get the same functionality.