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Apple’s HomeView makes a persuasive case for a square, rounded-corner display. As a low-interaction smart-home hub, it needs to show useful information at a glance and accept a few quick taps—not serve as a television, laptop, ebook reader or game console. A compact “squircle” can provide that visibility without taking over a table or wall.
HomeView solves a different screen problem
Most consumer screens are rectangular because their primary jobs reward a long horizontal or vertical dimension. Phones accommodate scrolling feeds and portrait photography. Laptops and televisions fit wide video. Tablets, books and games commonly benefit from extra height or width, while keyboards need a broad typing surface.
HomeView is presented for a narrower role: monitoring home technology, controlling devices, making occasional video calls and handling short tasks such as looking up a recipe. Those activities need legibility and reachable controls, but they do not require hours of continuous viewing or a large typing area. Applying the usual rectangle-first assumptions to this product would therefore miss its intended use.
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Why a square display fits a low-interaction hub
Information remains visible at a useful distance
Macworld editor David Price summarizes the design principle clearly: “A low-interaction screen should ideally be big enough for its information to be visible to the user at a convenient distance, and no bigger.” HomeView’s square face supports that balance. It can present status information and controls in a concentrated area that someone can read while standing nearby, rather than requiring the device to be as wide as a small television.
#1 Best Overall
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It uses small spaces efficiently
A wider display demands more horizontal clearance on a countertop and can dominate a narrow shelf. A taller display may become a conspicuous vertical object on a wall or table. A square footprint distributes the same general viewing area more evenly, making placement easier where space is limited. The source’s argument applies to both tabletop and wall-mounted use: the hub can be noticeable enough to consult without becoming the room’s main visual feature.
The shape matches occasional interaction
HomeView is not described as a primary screen for films, television, games, ebooks, photo browsing or long-form typing. For those tasks, a rectangle’s extra dimension is genuinely useful. Home control is different. A user may check a status card, tap a lighting scene, start a call or read a short answer, then leave the screen alone. In that pattern, unused edges add visual bulk without adding equivalent utility.
Rank #2
- 5-in-1 USB-C Hub: Experience comprehensive connectivity featuring a Power Delivery input, two USB-A 2.0 ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Note: The USB-C power delivery input port is only for connecting an external wall charger to power your laptop and cannot power peripheral devices.)
- 90W Pass-Through Charging: Achieve optimal charging with 90W pass-through power to your laptop, supported by a total input of 100W, with the hub reserving 10W for operational efficiency. (Note: Wall charger not included.)
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Square versus rectangular smart displays
The comparison below reflects the qualitative reasoning available about HomeView’s role; no benchmark measurements or technical test results have been published in the material available for this article.
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| Consideration | HomeView’s square, rounded-corner design | Conventional rectangular design |
|---|---|---|
| Small-space footprint | Evenly proportioned face can fit a tabletop or wall without requiring a long horizontal or tall vertical span. | May need more clearance in one direction, depending on orientation and size. |
| Brief home-control actions | Well suited to glanceable status information and a few taps. | Also capable, but may provide screen area that the hub’s short interactions do not use. |
| Wall placement | Balanced outline can read as a compact control panel. | Orientation and width can make the device more visually dominant in a small room. |
| Tabletop placement | Can occupy a defined, compact footprint. | May spread farther across a shelf or counter. |
| Extended media, reading, gaming and typing | Not the shape’s strength; HomeView is not framed as a primary device for these tasks. | Longer dimensions generally serve video, books, games, photographs and keyboards better. |
| Visual familiarity | Unusual at first, although users may become accustomed to it. | Matches the familiar shape of most personal and entertainment screens. |
The trade-off is familiarity, not capability
The main objection is likely to be psychological. People have learned to equate “useful screen” with a rectangle, so a squircle may initially look unconventional or even inefficient. That reaction does not demonstrate that the layout wastes space; it reflects decades of exposure to phones, monitors and televisions.
Rank #3
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
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- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Once the device is installed, the more relevant question is whether its information is easy to see and its controls easy to reach. If the hub’s software uses the available area for clear status panels, large controls and concise responses, the unusual outline can become part of the product’s identity rather than a daily irritation. The design still has to be executed well—an awkward interface would not be rescued by a clever enclosure—but the geometry itself is defensible.
What HomeView should—and should not—replace
A complement to larger screens
HomeView makes sense as an ambient control point alongside a television, computer or phone. Its value is availability: a user can check the home, make a quick adjustment or begin a call without opening a full-size device. That division of labor lets each screen use the proportions best suited to its job.
Rank #4
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Not a universal display
Expecting HomeView to replace a television for wide video, a tablet for reading, a game display or a laptop for sustained writing would create the wrong standard. Those activities need more expansive layouts and, often, extended viewing comfort. A square hub should be judged on rapid awareness and control, not on tasks it was not designed to prioritize.
What is—and is not—established
The case for the squircle is an editorial design argument, not a product test or technical specification. The available discussion does not establish HomeView’s price, release markets, display dimensions, resolution, performance, accessory model numbers or verified availability. It also supplies no measured comparison with a particular rectangular smart display. Those details should be confirmed from official product information before making a purchase decision.
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
What is established is the intended interaction model and the placement rationale: HomeView is presented as an Apple smart-home hub for brief, occasional control, with tabletop and wall-mounted scenarios in mind. For that job, keeping the screen only as large as necessary is a coherent design choice. The rectangle remains better for long-form media and input; HomeView does not need to win those categories to justify its shape.
Quick Recap
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