Apple’s “Welcome Home” Launch on 13 October: What Is Confirmed and What Is Only Rumoured

Apple will launch something on Tuesday 13 October. That much comes from Apple itself: its senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, posted “Welcome home. October 13.” on X at 17:00 BST on 8 October, with a short teaser video [1]. What Apple will actually show is a different matter. The products being talked about are rumoured, not announced, and Apple has not named any of them.

Spotted via Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) on X.

What is confirmed

Confirmed (Apple executive’s post). The date, 13 October, and the tagline, “Welcome home”, come from Joswiak’s post, which TSN read through the X API [1]. The post contains those four words and a video, and nothing else. It names no products and gives no time or place.

Reported (press invites). Three Apple-focused outlets report that, at the same time, members of the media were invited to an “Apple Experience” in Tribeca, New York, at 9:00 a.m. ET on 13 October [2][3][4]. That is 14:00 in London. MacRumors says it is “unclear if there will be an event component or if the devices will debut via press release”, and expects attendees to get hands-on time with whatever Apple introduces [4].

TSN found no press release on Apple’s Newsroom and no listing on its Apple Events page when it checked on the morning of 9 October [5].

What is rumoured

The “Welcome home” tagline points to home products, and every outlet reads it that way. But the product list comes from reporting and leaks, not from Apple.

• A home hub with a display (rumoured). MacRumors says Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman “recently reported that Apple plans to unveil an all-new home hub, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV 4K on Tuesday, October 13” [4]. The Verge says Apple “is rumored to announce products including a smart home hub with a display” [3]. MacRumors adds its own rumoured details, including that the hub is “rumored to have a 6-inch square display” and that “pricing could be around $350” [4]. 9to5Mac calls the device “HomePad”, a nickname rather than an Apple name [2].
• A new Apple TV 4K (rumoured). Named by all three outlets as expected [2][3][4].
• A refreshed HomePod mini (rumoured). 9to5Mac lists a “HomePod mini 2”; MacRumors says “a refreshed HomePod mini” [2][4].
• Accessories made with LG (reported, unconfirmed). The Verge says Apple is “reportedly teaming up with LG on new smart home devices”, including “a video doorbell, thermostat, and indoor camera”, and refers to renders that “purportedly” showed some of them [3]. 9to5Mac describes “leaked LG home accessories” that Apple “has reportedly co-developed” with LG [2].

None of these has been confirmed by Apple or LG.

Why it matters

Apple has talked about a home hub for a long time without shipping one; The Verge notes Apple “apparently even wanted to launch it sometime in 2025” [3]. A dedicated home launch would be a change of pace for a company whose autumn is usually about iPhones, which it unveiled at its September event [5]. MacRumors says the rumoured hub “will integrate with Siri AI”, with voice as the main way to use it [4]. Whether that is right will be clear on 13 October.

Update, 9 October 2026: a second launch reported for about 27 October

A second October launch (reported). Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported late on 8 October that Apple, “already set to introduce a revamped smart home strategy next week, is planning a second launch in October to introduce its first touchscreen MacBook and a new iPad mini” [6][7]. Bloomberg says the launch “is scheduled on or around Oct 27, according to people with knowledge of the matter”, and will “also include versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac with M6 chips” [7]. Apple has not announced it; a spokesperson “declined to comment”, Bloomberg says [7].

How 13 October will work (reported). Bloomberg adds a detail about next Tuesday: “Like its smart home event on Oct 13, the next launch will include an online video presentation and an in-person component for the press” [7]. MacRumors relays the same point [8]. That goes further than what was known when this post was written, when it was unclear whether there would be any event element [4]. Apple itself has still confirmed only the date and the “Welcome home” tagline [1].

The rumoured products for 27 October. None is announced. According to Bloomberg’s sources [7]:

• Touchscreen MacBook Pros (rumoured). Code-named K114 and K116, they “will be lighter than current models and offer OLED screens” and the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. MacRumors says Bloomberg puts them in the MacBook Pro family, in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes [8].
• A new iPad mini (rumoured). Code-named J510, with “an OLED screen, a videoconferencing camera that moves to the landscape side and a revamped speaker system”.
• M6 versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac (rumoured). Bloomberg says these “will look like their current versions”.

Bloomberg says the event will be “geared toward creative professionals who work in video production, photo editing and music production” [7].

One new name for 13 October (reported). Bloomberg’s story repeats that next week’s launch will include a smart home hub with a display, a new HomePod mini and an updated Apple TV, and says Apple “will introduce a home ecosystem that will include accessories from LG Electronics Inc and Schneider Electric SE” [7]. Schneider Electric had not been named in this post before. Neither company has confirmed a tie-up.

What this does not prove

• That any particular product is coming. Apple has given a date and a tagline only. Every product named above is a rumour or a report.
• Prices, screen sizes or features. The $350 price and 6-inch screen are MacRumors’ rumoured figures, not Apple’s [4].
• That there will be a staged keynote. Press were invited to an “Apple Experience”; MacRumors says it is unclear whether there is an event component [4].
• That LG is involved. The LG tie-up rests on reports and leaked renders [2][3].
• That there will be a launch on 27 October. The date is Bloomberg’s, from unnamed sources, and Bloomberg itself says “on or around” [7].
• What the new Macs and iPad mini will be called, cost or ship. Bloomberg reports features, not prices or dates on sale [7].

The Bottom Line

Confirmed: Apple has a “Welcome home” launch on 13 October, and press are reportedly invited to New York for 9:00 a.m. ET. Rumoured: a home hub with a screen, a new Apple TV 4K, a refreshed HomePod mini and LG-made accessories. Treat the product list as expectations until Apple shows them on Tuesday.

Bloomberg now reports that 13 October will include an online video presentation and press hands-on, and that a second launch is planned on or around 27 October with touchscreen OLED MacBook Pros, a new OLED iPad mini and M6 versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac. All of that is reported, not announced; Apple declined to comment [7].

Sources

1. Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz), Apple SVP Worldwide Marketing, X post “Welcome home. October 13.” with video, 8 October 2026, 17:00 BST (Apple executive’s post; read via the X API). https://x.com/gregjoz/status/2108226096407994858
2. Ryan Christoffel, “Apple announces special event for October 13: ‘Welcome home'”, 9to5Mac, 8 October 2026, 17:03 BST (trade press; product list is expectation and leak reporting). https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/08/apple-announces-special-event-for-october-13-welcome-home/
3. Jay Peters, “Apple announces surprise ‘Welcome home’ launch event”, The Verge, 8 October 2026, 17:08 BST (trade press; products described as rumoured or reported). https://www.theverge.com/news/1008039/apple-smart-home-event-october-13th
4. Juli Clover, “Apple Product Launch Announced for October 13: ‘Welcome Home'”, MacRumors, 8 October 2026, 17:04 BST (trade press; relays Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman; rumoured specifications and price). https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/08/apple-product-launch-october-13/
5. Apple Newsroom and Apple Events pages, checked 9 October 2026, about 08:55 BST (no release or listing for 13 October found). https://www.apple.com/newsroom/ and https://www.apple.com/apple-events/
6. Mark Gurman, “Apple Set to Debut Touch-Screen MacBook and New iPad Mini in Late October”, Bloomberg, 8 October 2026 (reported, unnamed sources; paywalled, not readable by TSN directly). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-08/apple-set-to-debut-touch-screen-macbook-and-new-ipad-mini-in-late-october
7. Mark Gurman (Bloomberg), “Apple set to debut touchscreen MacBook and new iPad Mini in late October”, syndicated by The Star, 9 October 2026, 3:00 p.m. MYT (08:00 BST) (full Bloomberg text read by TSN; reported, unnamed sources). https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/09/apple-set-to-debut-touch-screen-macbook-and-new-ipad-mini-in-late-october
8. Juli Clover, “Apple to Launch Touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro and OLED iPad mini on October 27”, MacRumors, 8 October 2026, 21:31 BST (trade press relaying Bloomberg). https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/08/apple-october-27-macbook-pro/