KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Apple announced a series of smart devices made for the home today but not all of them will be available worldwide, with some set for limited release on launch.
Here’s a summary of what’s new and available for Malaysians to pre-order come tomorrow:
What’s coming to Malaysia
Apple TV 4K
The Apple TV 4K gets a new chip in the A19 for what Apple says is 50 per cent faster CPU performance, with the added bonus of a new AV1 decoder to use less bandwidth while still maintaining high-quality streaming rates.
Which means you can keep rewatching Ted Lasso at the highest resolution without annoying the rest of the family who also want to use the internet thanks very much.
You also get a new Siri Remote that supports Find My so thank the gods you can now use your iPhone to find your remote.
If you thought just two HomePods isn’t enough for your home theatre experience, good news — the latest Apple TV 4K now supports a four-speaker surround sound experience with HomePods and the HomePod mini.
But the front and rear speaker pairs must match for this to work.
Apple has also stated that security and privacy remain a priority with Secure Exclaves included on the Apple TV 4K and the A19 chip, that seals away the runtimes used to process microphone data, ensuring that it remains encrypted and inaccessible to users, apps, tvOS and, yes, Apple.
The new Apple TV 4K also supports automations and can be used as a home hub to control your smart home devices.
Preorders start on the official Malaysian Apple Store starting from 9am tomorrow with pricing set at RM1,349 with availability starting November 13.
If you have an older Apple TV, the new Siri Remote is compatible with both the Apple TV HD and the previous generation Apple TV 4K.
HomePod mini 2
The tiny speaker gets an update and colour options in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight.
You can use it as part of a HomePod-centric four speaker setup (but it must be matched in a pair on either the front or rear).
Apple says thanks to the Apple S10 chip and advanced computational audio, it will now analyse music in real time to optimise loudness, acoustic performance, and dynamic range.
It’s also available for preorder on October 15 for RM649 but will be available from October 30.
What’s not available (for now)
Apple HomeView
This is basically a 7-inch Liquid Retina display meant to be a home hub.
Yes a smart home tablet interface that may not be new to the current smart home scene but is new to Apple.
It comes in a tabletop version connected to a domed speaker base and a wall-mounted version.
Up to six people can share the HomeView, allowing the use of apps such as Find My so now you can find out if your kid is actually at the tuition centre and not the arcade.
At press time it will only be available in Singapore, South Africa, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
Apple Home Collection
This is a collaboration with Schneider Electric and LG Electronics that will only be available in a few select countries in December — US, UK and Canada.
It includes a video doorbell, door lock, temperature sensors, thermostats and indoor and outdoor cameras.
