Claim Chowder: The Information on HomeView Having a ‘Robotic Swiveling Base’

Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu, reporting, wrongly, for The Information in January this year (paywalled; here’s MacRumors’s summary) Apple’s pin joins a growing portfolio of AI-powered products the tech giant has under development, including AirPods equipped with enhanced sensors, a security camera, smart glasses and augmented reality glasses, according to multiple people familiar with the projects. Apple is also working on a home product featuring a small display, speakers and a robotic swiveling base, designed with a heavy emphasis on AI features. That device could be released as soon as this spring, according to two of the people. Wrong. So I’d say that the stupid-sounding “AI pin” that these same “people familiar with the matter” told Ma and Liu about is probably equally wrong. I love to point out when Mark Gurman is wrong, which is not infrequently, but in the case of HomeView he’s seemingly been right about everything going back to 2025. He reported back in April 2025, with codenames, that the initial HomeView (J490) had no robotics but that a subsequent version (J595) would — or at least might. Two dinguses heard a rumor about J595 and told The Information it might ship six months ago, when in fact it’s something won’t ship until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. But The Information ran with it. The phrase “familiar with the matter” often just means “who heard something about it from someone who goes to the same gym as a guy whose wife works at Apple”. Substitute that longer phrase whenever you see “people familiar with the matter”.  ★