IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Apple HomeView

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Theme 1 – Siri/AI dependency and shortcomings
Many commenters argue the device is useless without Siri AI, criticize Siri as weak or “half‑functional,” and suggest turning AI off would make the product great.
- “Yeah, it's weird, the AI is the least interesting and least useful part of this product.” — maxsilver
- “Half functional” is a great way to describe the new Siri.” — buzzerbetrayed
- “This means it’s plainly unusable.” — WesolyKubeczek
- “The rumor is that this has been ready for 1‑2 years and was waiting on ‘good Siri’ before they would/could release it.” — joshstrange

Theme 2 – Kitchen/smart‑home display use case
Users see value in a dedicated screen for recipes, smart‑home control, or a “dashboard” that stays in the kitchen.
- “i would love a dashboard for my smart home… i'll just buy an eink screen, attach a esp32 of sorts and have it the way i want it without additional mics and shit.” — fosron
- “One of the motivations is to have a ‘master controller and dashboard’ for the (smart-) home that's conveniently always attached and connected to the house itself.” — jasode
- “Hmm, the first thing I thought when I saw the Skylight is ‘Can I run Home Assistant on this?’ and it looks like the answer is: yes.” — joshstrange

Theme 3 – Lack of third‑party apps / reliance on iPhone
A frequent complaint is that HomeView runs only Apple apps and needs an iPhone for full functionality, limiting its appeal compared to open platforms.
- “Nope, just Apple apps, but they support streaming audio from compatible iPhone apps…” — joshstrange
- “No apps. This would be perfect for my kitchen but I like to watch videos, movies, tv shows while I cook… the fact it won't support third party apps means that is not an option.” — etempleton
- “It's shocking to me it doesn't support apps from the AppStore nor any kind of (video) media streaming.” — santah

Theme 4 – Privacy, surveillance, and walled‑garden concerns
Several commenters view the device as another surveillance tool or a way to lock users deeper into Apple’s ecosystem.
- “Another surveillance ad billboard! Think different!” — 2OEH8eoCRo0
- “Apple (and all of big tech) doesn't want a moment of your life to exist where you're not mindlessly staring into an screen.” — righthand
- “You may not need it but the fruit factory does need it, if only to sell more fruit machines.” — hagbard_c

Theme 5 – Price/value and market positioning
The $299 price is seen as cheap enough to be an easy gift or impulse buy, yet many question whether the product offers enough value to justify its existence.
- “At $299 they’ll sell millions of these in no time.” — r0fl
- “Exactly. Perfect gift.” — SomeonesAccount
- “I’m buying one for my parents and one for my in-laws for Christmas. Easy $300 gift that I know they won’t have.” — r0fl

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

HomeAssistant Kiosk Firmware for Smart Displays

Summary

  • A lightweight, installable firmware that turns Apple HomeView (or similar walled‑garden smart displays) into a local Home Assistant dashboard, removing the reliance on Siri AI and enabling full third‑party integration.
  • Core value proposition: gives privacy‑focused users a fully controllable smart‑home hub while reusing the attractive hardware they already bought.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Home Assistant enthusiasts, privacy‑conscious smart‑home owners who bought HomeView but want open‑source control
Core Feature Bootable image that runs Home Assistant OS with a touch‑optimized Lovelace UI, accessible via USB‑C recovery mode
Tech Stack Home Assistant OS, Linux kernel, U‑Boot bootloader, Docker containers for add‑ons, signed via open‑source keys
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters complained that “the AI is the least interesting … part of this product” (maxsilver) and wished they could “run Home Assistant on this” (joshstrange). This firmware directly satisfies that desire.
  • Enables discussion around extending Apple hardware with open‑source software, a recurring theme in the thread.

AirPlay Video Receiver for Smart Displays

Summary

  • An open‑source AirPlay receiver app that runs on the HomeView (or any compatible smart display) to mirror video from iPhone, iPad, or Mac, letting users watch YouTube, Plex, or local media while cooking.
  • Core value proposition: adds the missing video playback use‑case that many users cited as a dealbreaker (etempleton, jon‑wood).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Users who want video/media playback on a kitchen smart display without buying a separate tablet
Core Feature Receiver that appears as an AirPlay target, decodes streams, and displays them fullscreen or in a widget pane
Tech Stack shairport-sync (or similar), FFmpeg for decoding, Qt/Wayland for UI, packaged as a Linux service
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters noted “the fact it won't support third party apps means that is not an option” (etempleton) and wanted “AirPlay video” as a workaround. This provides exactly that.
  • Sparks conversation about extending closed devices with community‑built services, a popular HN topic.

Magnetic Mount with Hot‑Swap Battery Pack

Summary

  • A modular magnetic mounting system that attaches to the back of HomeView (or similar displays) and includes a swappable battery pack, allowing the device to be used portably around the kitchen or taken off‑wall for charging.
  • Core value proposition: solves the “no battery means it is stuck to the wall” pain point while preserving the clean aesthetic.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience HomeView owners who want flexibility to move the display (e.g., from prep area to stove) without drilling or cables
Core Feature Magnetic base with contacts, detachable battery brick that provides 4‑6 hrs runtime, and optional wall‑plate for fixed installation
Tech Stack PCB with power management, neodymium magnets, Li‑Po battery, USB‑C PD input, 3D‑printed enclosure
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: $29‑$49 per mount/battery kit

Notes

  • Users lamented “no battery means it is stuck to the wall” and suggested “a battery pack on it” (mat_epice). This product directly addresses that.
  • Generates practical utility: a detachable, rechargeable smart‑display that can be used as a kitchen timer, recipe viewer, or intercom anywhere in the home.

Open‑Source Smart Display OS with Pluggable Voice Assistants

Summary

  • A privacy‑first Linux‑based OS for smart displays that lets users choose any voice assistant backend (Siri, Claude, local LLMs, or none) and run third‑party widgets via a web‑runtime.
  • Core value proposition: eliminates vendor lock‑in and AI‑dependency frustrations while giving full control over data processing.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Privacy‑conscious users, developers, and HN commenters who dislike Siri’s limitations and want alternative assistants
Core Feature Assistant abstraction layer (API) that routes wake‑word detection to a local VAD and then to selectable backends; sandboxed widget system for third‑party apps
Tech Stack Yocto/Buildroot Linux, PipeWire for audio, WebView (Chromium) for widgets, Rust‑based assistant plugins, OTA update framework
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby (or optional paid support tiers)

Notes

  • Many complained “Siri AI is the least interesting … part of this product” (maxsilver) and wished for “Claude, openai or Grok as the assistant” (small_model). This OS lets them plug in exactly those.
  • Invites discussion about user‑chosen AI backends and data sovereignty, a hot topic on HN.

Local Multi‑User FaceID Enclave Service

Summary

  • A service that runs on the device’s Secure Enclave (or equivalent TPM) to perform facial recognition entirely offline, enabling multiple user profiles without sending images to Apple or any cloud.
  • Core value proposition: delivers the multi‑user convenience advertised by HomeView while respecting privacy‑concerns raised by HN users.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Families and shared‑household users who want personalized UI (calendars, messages, FaceTime) without cloud‑based biometrics
Core Feature On‑device face detection & matching that writes a user‑ID token to the Home app; works with existing HomeView UI via a background daemon
Tech Stack Apple’s Secure Enclave SDK (if available) or open‑source TPM2.0 drivers, lightweight CNN model (e.g., MobileFaceNet) compiled for ARM, daemon in Swift/Rust
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters highlighted the multi‑user feature as a selling point but questioned privacy: “Multi‑user stuff works? Are we going to have to authenticate to this thing many times a day?” (criddell). An offline solution satisfies both utility and privacy.
  • Provides a concrete project that leverages the hardware’s existing security features, appealing to the security‑savvy HN audience.

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