"Home Hub" and Tabletop Robot: Apple Apparently Finds Partners – Not in China
After many rumors, a new Apple product category for the home could launch next year. Now there is information about the manufacturing.
Home app on an iPhone: The "Home Hub" is set to become Apple's new central control for HomeKit
(Image: Apple)
Apple's project for a new smart home control center has been underway for several years – and has reportedly been postponed multiple times due to external circumstances. Most recently, a release of the "Home Hub" reportedly failed in June 2025 and again in October because Apple's improvements for the Siri voice assistant had to be postponed to (likely) next spring. But now, at least initial production details for the device seem to be in place, as well as for a possible direct successor. This is reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg.
Not China or India, but Vietnam
According to the report, the "Home Hub" will not come from the People's Republic of China or from Apple's increasingly important second location India, but from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This fits quite well, as Apple now frequently uses the country for accessory products, such as AirPods, HomePods, and Apple Watch. However, some Mac models and iPads are also assembled there.
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The special feature this time would be that Apple is going directly to Vietnam with the Home Hub and not waiting for an initial production in China. Normally, products are first manufactured in the People's Republic to avoid potential problems at other locations. However, the People's Republic is not entirely out of production: BYD, the Chinese battery and electric car giant, is reportedly taking over local production management in Vietnam, according to Bloomberg. The company is said to be responsible for the three steps of final assembly, quality control, and packaging. BYD is also said to continue to help expand Vietnamese iPad production, it was reported.
Details on the "Home Hub" and the Tabletop Robot
Bloomberg further reports that Apple is planning two versions of the "Home Hub". One, codenamed J490, consists of a screen mounted on a speaker base. The second variant, codename J491, is intended to be mounted on the wall. Apparently, the screens are each a square model that is rather small (but larger than an iPhone). Both devices come with a FaceTime camera for video calls and have a novel interface that is supposed to adapt to the user. Apps are apparently not planned initially. The new operating system could be called "homeOS".
Even more exciting is the next project: a "Tabletop Robot". Apple had already shown such a device in a research paper. The idea is a motorized arm that can orient itself towards the user. Apple is reportedly still looking for suitable AI applications for the hardware, which is expected to cost several hundred dollars (if not more). A release is reportedly planned for 2027.
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