It makes sense they'd eventually do that. The Apple TV didn't launch with an App Store, and it took 8 years after its first generation to get an App Store! I'd guess Apple sees that most apps wouldn't make sense for the HomeView, and they'll likely restrict what categories of apps can launch on it.

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dewey 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Also all the developers are angry and trying to build for Duo right now that didn’t even give them a simulator in time, so makes sense to not rush this out right away.

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jimbokun an hour ago | parent | next [-]

They’ll get over it if the Duo sells well.

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WorldMaker 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

For what it is worth, this seems to have a similar screen form factor to the expanded to Duo, so maybe they were waiting for this announcement before revealing the simulator to make it clearer that apps supporting one of the devices may support both? Not the first time Apple has made multi-device plays on a new form factor.

	▲	Kwpolska 18 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		The HomeView has a 1:1 display, the Duo has 1:1.4 displays. Not really similar. Although I would expect any devs (had there been a SDK) to start with their iPad apps, which are expected to adapt to different window sizes.

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MichaelZuo 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah the lack of an app store is fine for the first year.

But the requirement for everyone to have an ipad or iphone on 27.2 or later (for full functionality) seems more of a showstopper. I would have been in the market for one but haven’t even bothered to upgrade past iOS 18 yet.

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HumblyTossed 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> But the requirement for everyone to have an ipad or iphone on 27.2 or later (for full functionality) seems more of a showstopper. I would have been in the market for one but haven’t even bothered to upgrade past iOS 18 yet.

This is what irritates me about Parental Controls in 27. Everyone has to be on 27 or nobody gets the new controls. So, we still have a mini 5 that we let the littlest one on. It works, there's not reason to get a new one, but sure would be nice to have the newer Parental Controls for the older kids.

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azinman2 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

27 is really good. Worth the upgrade.

Disclosure: I work at Apple. But that’s also my honest opinion.

	▲	yreg 6 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		One issue with upgrading: macOS 27 doesn't run Xcode 26 which most developers probably want to continue using until they finish polishing the apps for Duo.
	▲	HumblyTossed 5 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		You're right, it is. But there's some annoying caveats. Parental Controls - every device has to be on 27 or nobody gets the updates. Have an iPad mini 5 that we let the youngest use, so that messes with everything.

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wat10000 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I doubt that people who are still running an OS version from two years ago are a significant potential market for this.

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swiftcoder 5 hours ago | parent [-]

> still running an OS version from two years ago

Part of Apple's whole appeal is that you get OS patches for a really long time. Outside of tech enthusiast circles, it's not that common to YOLO into bleeding-edge OS updates

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wat10000 4 hours ago | parent [-]

It's hardly "YOLO into bleeding-edge OS updates" to run something more recent than a 2024 major release.

Anyway, I'm not criticizing. Run what you like! I just don't expect the overlap between "buys Apple device in entirely new category" and "running OS version from two years ago" to be very large.

	▲	Kwpolska 16 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		iOS 27 came out a month ago, and 27.2 is currently in beta, so buying this device does require being on the bleeding edge.

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vscarpenter 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I think the Watch is a better precedent than the Apple TV. The product page already borrows its vocabulary: customizable faces, Live Activities, and “compatible third-party audio and video apps from your iPhone.” That’s how WatchKit started in 2015. Third-party Watch apps ran as extensions on the paired iPhone, went native with watchOS 2 later that year, and didn’t get an on-device App Store until watchOS 6 in 2019.

So I wouldn’t expect a HomeView App Store soon. I’d expect iPhone-hosted extensions first (widgets, Live Activities, CarPlay-style templates for audio and video), probably at WWDC. That also spares developers who are already scrambling to support the Duo.