Apple's 'Welcome Home' event confirmed for October 13 with exciting new products set to launch

If releasing the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and the long-awaited iPhone Duo wasn't enough, Apple has given us the Mac Studio, Mac Mini, Apple Watch Series 12, and Watch Ultra 4 in 2026. The tech giant still isn't done, with the not-so-surprising announcement of another October event destined to have us parting with our money.

Instead of keeping us in the dark, the fact that this event is called 'Welcome Home' gives us a pretty big hint of what's to come.

While Apple is undoubtedly remembered for giving us the Mac and iPhone, it has an impressive history of home products ranging from the HomePod to the short-lived iPod Hi-Fi, Apple TV boxes to the Mac mini doubling up as a home theater back in the day.

What is Apple's 'Welcome Home' event?

With critiques that Apple prioritizes iPhones and computers, there have been numerous calls for a revamp of the home lineup. The HomePod mini has been left gathering dust since 2020, with long-held rumors that a successor was on the way. Could those wishes be answered in time for Christmas?

Posting on X, tech favorite Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee shared his invite for Apple's Welcome Home event that's been locked in for October 13. Inviting MKBHD to an event in Tribeca in New York, the company is remaining tight-lipped about what's on the way, although a cryptic video from Apple's SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, has people talking.

The short clip includes embroidery in a variety of different colors, leading to speculation that these are some new colorways we can expect for an expanded range of home tech.

A push into home tech is apparently being pioneered by new CEO John Ternus, seemingly trying to diversify from relying on the iPhone every year.

Given that production has apparently been scaled back due to 'soft' demand for the iPhone 18 Pro, this can only be a good thing.

Timings for the Welcome Home event are unclear, and although the likes of MKBHD have been invited to an in-person reveal, we don't know whether there will be a livestream or new devices will simply be revealed via a press release.

What products are we expecting to launch at Apple's 'Welcome Home' event?

Those up on their Apple rumors will know the rumored home hub known as the HomePad, a new Apple TV 4K, and a HomePod mini 2 are top of the list in terms of what we're expecting to see on October 13.

The HomePad is said to make the most of Apple's upgraded Siri AI assistant, which would explain why it's taken so long to appear on shelves.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously pitched the HomePad as having a 6-inch square display, with the device being mounted on countertops or walls.

Apple reportedly envisions multiple HomePads in multiple rooms, offering features like FaceTime and AI facial recognition for different members of the family.

If you want a sneak peek at the HomePad, we're told it'll look similar to the iMac G4 that was released back in 2002.

Although we'll have to wait a bit longer to see if the rumors are true, the HomePod mini 2 is tipped to keep the same general design as its predecessor but pack a faster processor to handle Siri AI. Upgraded audio components should offer cleaner sound, but the big selling point is the new color options.

Finally, the new Apple TV 4K is rumored to include a faster processor, 8GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and an upgraded Siri Remote.

Code leaks suggest the Apple TV 4K will introduce four-HomePod surround sound functionality that allows you to link four devices together and create your own home cinema.

For those hoping the standard HomePod will be getting some TLC, patience is a virtue. There are supposedly plans to revisit the classic HomePod eventually, but in the meantime, a smorgasbord of other home tech devices should be more than enough to keep us busy.