A ZDNET writer with 11 Echoes sees no reason to swap in Apple's $299 HomeView
ZDNET's writer is keeping 11 Echo devices after Apple priced HomeView at $299, against $179 for Amazon's Echo Hub and $199 for the Echo Show 8. The verdict comes from Apple's announcement and one household's setup, so it is a forecast of switching costs.
The Product Desk
Apple's HomeView is priced at $299. Amazon's Echo Hub, a wall-mounted smart panel, costs $179, and Amazon's Echo Show 8 costs $199.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple HomeView, price | $299 | 1 | |
| Amazon Echo Hub, price | $179 | 6 | |
| Amazon Echo Show 8, price | $199 | 7 |
What happened
- HomeView's screen is 5.73 inches square, and buyers choose the wall version or the base version at purchase.
- Apple says running apps on HomeView requires a compatible iPhone, and the device has no App Store.
- According to the writer, HomeView has FaceTime and Apple Music but no YouTube app or any other video app, and not even the Apple+ app.
- HomeView supports Calendar and Notes, recognizes up to six family members and lets each open their own Messages.
- Amazon's Echo Hub is a wall-mounted smart panel with full Alexa+ capabilities and a 16:10 screen.
Why it matters
- cost The premium is paid per screen, so a household that converts several Echo rooms pays it several times, while one added HomeView pays it once.
- contradiction Apple's wording promises third-party video apps from the iPhone while the writer finds no video app on the device, and the two cannot guide a purchase until Apple defines what is compatible.
- decision An Alexa household has to settle whether HomeView is one added screen or a replacement, and on the writer's evidence only the added screen keeps the premium to a single purchase.
In the writer's house, a question about the weather gets an answer from the porch, the Fab Lab or either bathroom [4]. Most of that coverage is Echo Dots, mostly bought on Prime Days at $39, and the writer says Dots have since gone up in price [5]. A $299 screen [1] is a different kind of purchase.
Against Amazon's screens, HomeView costs $120 more than the $179 Echo Hub and $100 more than the $199 Echo Show 8 [19][20]. That is 67% and 50% more [21][22]. The writer's objection to the square screen is short: "Nobody does square videos anymore." [14]
What this household does is ask from any room [4]. What Apple's small print promises is "a familiar experience across devices" for "compatible third-party audio and video apps from your iPhone" [10]. The writer says Apple shows no non-Apple app and does not define "compatible" [11], and expects HomeView to get its apps from the iPhone the way Apple Watch does [23].
The Siri objection is the thinnest part of the record. The writer wrote that "Siri still falls short of the assistant I wanted" [3], but the text available breaks off in the fourth of six promised reasons, before Siri or the price of Apple's satellite devices comes up [24]. The writer has complaints about Alexa+ too, calling its new voices "all universally annoying" [16], and had been "secretly excited" about an Apple hub [17].
The verdict is "I don't think HomeView will be viewing my home anytime soon" [15]. It was written after the announcement, and on whether the device's mix of iPad, iPhone and Watch traits works, the writer said "We'll have to wait and see." [18]
We think the buyer the evidence leaves standing is a household already on iPhones [9] that wants FaceTime, Calendar, Notes and per-person Messages on one screen [13]. Sort by two facts: how many rooms already have an Echo, and whether the screen would be used for video and third-party apps or for Apple's own apps. Our call for each cell:
- Many Echo rooms, video or third-party apps: stay on Alexa. Each converted screen costs $100 to $120 more [19][20], and the writer says Apple has not defined "compatible" [11]. - Many Echo rooms, Apple's own apps: add one HomeView where FaceTime is wanted and leave the Dots in place. - Few Echo rooms, video or third-party apps: wait for Apple to define "compatible". - Few Echo rooms, Apple's own apps: the price and app objections weigh least here, and the Siri objection still applies, so try one unit.
What to watch
- Whether Apple defines which third-party audio and video apps count as compatible with HomeView, or shows a non-Apple app on it.
- Hands-on tests of Siri on HomeView, since the Siri objection is stated in ZDNET's takeaways but not argued in the text available.
- Apple's prices for HomeView's satellite devices, which the writer's fourth reason addresses.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence40
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap
- Insufficient
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence45
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Apple's HomeView is priced at $299.
- [2]
The writer's key takeaways are that higher costs and limited compatibility make switching from Alexa to HomeView tough.
- [3]
Siri still falls short of the assistant I wanted.
- [4]
The writer's household has Echo devices in two bedrooms, the kitchen (an Echo Show), the laundry room, the workshop, the Fab Lab, two offices, two bathrooms and on the porch, 11 devices in all, giving intercom, weather checks, smart home controls, lists and questions from every spot in the house.
- [5]
Most of the writer's 11 Echo devices are Echo Dots, most picked up on Prime Days for $39, and Echo Dots have since gone up in price.
- [6]
Amazon's Echo Hub is a wall-mounted smart panel with full Alexa+ capabilities, a screen and touchpad, a 16:10 screen, and costs $179.
- [7]
Amazon's Echo Show 8, which has a 16:10 screen, costs $199.
- [8]
HomeView's screen is 5.73 inches square and can be hung on the wall or stand on a base; buyers must choose the wall version or the base version when they buy.
- [9]
Apple says a compatible iPhone is needed to run apps on HomeView, and there is no App Store for HomeView.
- [10]
HomeView supports compatible third-party audio and video apps from your iPhone for a familiar experience across devices.
- [11]
According to the writer, Apple does not showcase any non-Apple apps for HomeView and does not specify what it means by compatible.
- [12]
According to the writer, HomeView supports FaceTime and Apple Music but does not include a YouTube app or any other video app, and does not support the Apple+ app.
- [13]
HomeView supports Calendar and Notes and FaceTime, and can recognize up to six family members and let each access their Messages while keeping them secure from other family members.
- [14]
Nobody does square videos anymore.
- [15]
I don't think HomeView will be viewing my home anytime soon.
- [16]
The new voices in Alexa+ are all universally annoying.
- [17]
Ever since the rumors started about Apple announcing a smart home hub, the writer had been secretly excited.
- [18]
We'll have to wait and see.
- [19]
HomeView costs $120 more than the Echo Hub.
- [20]
HomeView costs $100 more than the Echo Show 8.
- [21]
HomeView costs about 67% more than the Echo Hub.
- [22]
HomeView costs about 50% more than the Echo Show 8.
- [23]
The writer thinks HomeView will get its apps the way Apple Watch does, from iPhone apps with special provisions.
- [24]
The article's headline promises 6 reasons HomeView will not replace the writer's Echoes, and the text supplied breaks off mid-sentence in reason 4, titled 'Its satellite devices aren't cheap'.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- zdnet.comApple’s HomeView won’t replace my Echoes anytime soon: 6 reasons why - ZDNET
1 article · October 13, 2026
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