Apple's $299 HomeView skips the EU as Siri AI stays blocked

Apple has launched a $299 smart home hub into a market map with a hole in it: the EU. HomeView, which is built around Siri AI, will not be sold in the bloc because Siri AI is not available there.

According to MacRumors, HomeView has a 7-inch square display and an A18 chip. Pre-orders are open in the US, and the device ships on 13 November in eight countries.

Siri AI is the core of the product. The report's headings also point to guided recipes with hands-free timers and the ability to run third-party apps from a paired iPhone or iPad. Apple says Siri AI is currently unavailable on iOS in the EU, and the hub follows that restriction.

Apple gave no timeline for EU availability. It said it is "working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a path forward." Neither Apple nor the EU has confirmed, according to the report, which specific rules lie behind the Siri AI delay.

An aiweekly.co roundup also lists a HomePod mini 2 at $149, shipping 13 November. MacRumors does not verify that detail, so treat it as unconfirmed.

The pattern matters more than the product. Apple is tying a new hardware category to a software feature it cannot ship in one of its largest markets, so the feature gap now becomes a hardware gap. EU buyers lose a device, and Apple loses the sales that come with it.

Smart home rivals selling into the EU face less pressure from Apple there, at least until it finds its "path forward". The thing to watch is whether Apple's next hardware launches also depend on Siri AI, because each one would extend the same exclusion. With no timeline given, EU retailers and developers building for the hub have nothing to plan around.