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Why HomeView is going to be great.
Photo: Cult of Mac

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple’s new HomeView hub is a getting a lot of criticism, especially for its lack of a built-in app store. But the absence of an app store is a feature, not a bug.

The situation is reminiscent of the charging port on the bottom of the Apple Magic Mouse, which is famously misunderstood. The placement of the port was designed to force users to use it wirelessly, just like ditching the headphone jack on iPhone forced users to adopt wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Apple is pulling the same trick with HomeView: The absence of apps forces users to use Siri AI as the primary interface, instead of tapping away on the screen as though it were a mini iPad. It’s genius!

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• HomePod mini gets a big update.
• Apple TV 4K gets a remote you can actually find down the back of the couch.
• Who exactly is the Apple Home Collection for?
• And Apple’s next event looks set for October 28 in LA.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in Apple’s Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. Or watch the video version, embedded below. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!)

This week’s top Apple news

On the show this week: Your host, Cult of Mac Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Leander Kahney (@lkahney), Cult of Mac managing editor Lewis Wallace (@lewiswallace) and our colleague Graham Bower from the Apple Core podcast.

Here are the headlines we’re talking about on this week’s show:

• Apple HomeView: 7 features and catches worth knowing
• HomePod mini gets its biggest upgrade in 6 years
• Apple TV 4K gets Siri AI and a remote you can actually find
• Apple Home Collection is a starter kit for your smart home
• Apple Event set for October 28 in LA to launch touchscreen MacBook and OLED iPad mini