Apple is finally getting ready to kick off its push into the smart home after years of speculation. A new report from Bloomberg has found that Apple has three new smart devices that are nearing launch with the first two expected to arrive in a couple of months.
What Apple Has in Store for the Smart Home
According to Bloomberg, Apple will be introducing a TV set-top box and an updated version of the HomePod mini as soon as this fall with the most noteworthy upgrades over pre-existing models being the inclusion of faster chips to support Siri AI.
Apple’s highly-anticipated smart home hub device is also “nearly ready to launch” sometime “between October and early next year. Two models reportedly exist for this device, one being a screen positioned on a half-dome shaped based and another that can be affixed to a wall using a new magnetic system (though no sign of the robotic arm previously speculated).
The hub will reportedly have a 7-inch square display and will be built around Siri AI, using an “entirely new operating system” that has allegedly been built off tvOS. It will also support FaceTime, home security monitoring and HomeKit integration alongside customizable interfaces.
The hub will also reportedly be able to identify who’s looking at it through facial recognition to help personalize the interface in real time, adjusting text size based on distance in addition to displaying a specific user’s calendar, notes and other personalized content.
Lastly, the Bloomberg reports that there are two other products in products, one being the “robotic” smart home hub, as well as an “advanced in-home security camera.”
Why Integrators Should Take Note
Despite being largely absent from custom integration (CI) channels now, Apple still has a significant presence within the industry. While control platforms like Control4 have recently begun to incorporate Apple integrations for the home, others, like Savant, have systems that have been built off of macOS.
Despite it being a consumer-focused brand now, the sheer profusion of its products among homeowners leaves Apple to be a force to notice for CI, even if it doesn’t actively engage with the channel.
That could be changing, however, if patents are followed through, with documents uncovered by CE Pro revealing that Apple could one day seek to tap CI in order to professionally install smart home systems of its own.
