Apple sets October 13 New York event around the home

Apple has scheduled a product event in New York for October 13 under the tagline “Welcome home,” putting its smart-home plans back in the spotlight. The company has not said which devices it will introduce, so the announcement is a date and theme rather than a product reveal. Bloomberg described it as a smart-home product launch, but Apple has not confirmed any particular device. That would matter because Apple has long had the pieces of a connected-home system—speakers, streaming boxes, and its Home app—but no obvious central device tying them together for a household.