Apple is making significant strides in the smart home sector with plans to launch three new Home products in 2025, followed by several more thereafter. While I’m enthusiastic about this new focus on Home, it also brings to mind a long-standing principle of Apple that could be tested by this array of upcoming products.
Upcoming Home Products from Apple
According to Mark Gurman, 2025 will mark a substantial shift for Apple with a renewed emphasis on its Home product line.
The new offerings will include:
- ‘HomePad,’ a new smart display
- HomePod mini 2
- An updated Apple TV 4K
Furthermore, in 2026 and beyond, Apple plans to introduce its own smart home camera and a video doorbell that integrates smart lock functionality.
If these new products succeed, we could anticipate even more Home innovations in the future—possibly including a revamped AirPort router.
This is all encouraging news. I’ve always hoped Apple would allocate more resources to its Home product line.
However, these developments also invite an intriguing question.
What has happened to the principle of ‘a thousand no’s for every yes’?
Apple’s Traditional Product Philosophy Questioned
For as long as I can recall, Apple has adhered to a guiding design philosophy: ‘there are a thousand no’s for every yes.’
These precise words were emphasized by the company during a video presentation at WWDC 2013.
This mantra has been employed at various times both internally and externally to illustrate a fundamental notion: focus is crucial.
Apple prefers to create a handful of exceptional products rather than numerous mediocre ones.
Despite its status as one of the world’s most prosperous companies, Apple operates with finite resources. The more commitments it makes, the thinner its focus becomes.
This brings to mind the company’s choice to develop its own smart home camera and doorbell.
Smart Camera and Doorbell Signal a New Direction for Apple
Apple’s upcoming ‘HomePad’ represents a new category for the company, yet I believe it aligns well with its existing range of Home products.
The HomePad is expected to work seamlessly with the HomePod and Apple TV, serving as an interface for Siri and media consumption.
In contrast, the imminent smart camera and doorbell appear to diverge from Apple’s typical strategy.
Apple has generally avoided creating its own HomeKit-compatible accessories, such as light bulbs, thermostats, smart locks, and garage door openers.
However, the introduction of a smart camera and doorbell signifies a departure from this trend.
I eagerly await these new products, as they’ll likely offer appealing alternatives to existing third-party solutions, particularly for those embedded in the Apple ecosystem.
But if Apple commits further to developing smart home accessories, could we expect to see smart light bulbs or air purifiers in the future? I’m skeptical. I’m also curious about how the company determines which products it will produce in-house versus those it will leave to external manufacturers.
I would love to see a broader array of Home products released by Apple. Nonetheless, I recognize that the company has limitations on what it can accomplish.
The camera and doorbell will likely build upon existing Apple technology, possibly explaining why they are in development. However, this new chapter for Apple’s Home division leaves many questions unanswered.
What are your thoughts on Apple expanding its Home product lineup? Share your views in the comments.
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