After the failure of the Apple Car, the company around CEO Tim Cook continues to look for ways to expand its business area. As has now been confirmed again, there will be a full focus on smart homes in 2025. We are already working on specific devices for this purpose.
In his last PowerOn Newsletter of the year, Bloomberg journalist and Apple expert Mark Gurman reports on the Cupertino company’s plans to increasingly penetrate the smart home sector over the next year. Some products are already well into development, others have just begun.
Apple wants to compete with Amazon and Google, among others, and bring its own AI-enabled smart home hub onto the market. There were already reports at the beginning of November that spoke of a device with a 6-inch screen. There will also be a new HomePod with an integrated display. However, its planned release towards the end of 2024 has been postponed to the third quarter of 2025 due to software development problems.
What is completely new, however, is information about a smart doorbell that Apple is working on, according to Gurman. It should be equipped with facial recognition and connected wirelessly to a desired door lock. The device would therefore identify the residents of the house or apartment by their face and could automatically open the door for them.
The principle would be the same as unlocking an iPhone using Face ID. However, development has only just begun. The doorbell will most likely appear in a year at the earliest, if not not until 2026. Apple is also planning a surveillance camera for users’ homes, which will work in conjunction with the Smart Home Hub already mentioned.
According to Gurman, development is already very advanced. The camera will probably only be available after the hub is published. This would put Cupertino in direct competition with products like Amazon’s Blink or Ring.
It looks like Apple will be launching a major smart home offensive in the next twelve months. As is often the case, the company is entering an already saturated market. However, with typical Apple high-quality products, solid AI and a focus on privacy, you could quickly catch up with other companies like Google or Amazon and even overtake them, as you once did with iPods, AirPods and, last but not least, the iPhone has managed.
