Apple Appears To Be Plotting Its Entry Into The Crowded Smart Home Market

It’s hardly unusual for Apple to allow an emerging segment of the tech industry to advance before unveiling its first product. Personal computers, MP3 players, and smartphones were already being sold when the Mac, iPod, and iPhone revolutionized each market.

Now, the Big Tech giant is reportedly poised to release its own smart home security camera.

What we know so far

Like other Apple products, insiders say the company plans for its camera to easily connect and communicate with iPhones, Apple TV, HomePods, and other devices. It will also reportedly include several artificial intelligence features, including a component that can identify individuals approaching a home’s front door.

Although the product is still in development, it’s expected to be ready for a full-scale debut by 2026 and the sales target is more than 10 million cameras per year.

It’s important to note that Apple is entering a market already dominated by two rivals — Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest. That means Apple will likely need a pretty impressive rollout to attract customers away from either one.

And what we don’t know

Most of the details about this project that have surfaced thus far haven’t come from Apple itself. So there’s no way to know what type of camera might be the first to go on sale.

The four main categories include:

• Indoor camera
• Indoor/outdoor camera
• Outdoor camera
• Video doorbell

Pricing is also unconfirmed, but the real money-maker for Apple might not be the device itself. The company offers HomeKit Secure Video service, which costs $11 per month for iCloud video storage.

Although some third-party cameras can be operated through the Apple Home platform, the release of its own device is being widely seen as a sign that the company is serious about making a splash in the lucrative smart home segment.

Chris Agee November 13th, 2024

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