While Apple is best known for its iPhones and MacBooks, the Cupertino-based tech giant has been trying to diversify its revenue streams for years. The Vision Pro was one such attempt, but so far there has been limited success on that front. According to a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is now looking at growth opportunities in 3 areas: artificial intelligence, robotics and the smart home.
While artificial intelligence and robotics would take a while to bear fruit, the Tim Cook-led company is now reportedly focusing its attention on the smart home segment in 2025, and its first offering next year could be an AI-powered smart home hub.
Apple’s plans for smart home hub:
According to Gurman, the smart home hub could have a 6-inch display and a new operating system designed to control home appliances, run FaceTime and play video. Apple is also said to be developing a new home security camera that will work with the smart hub. Reportedly, Apple is deep into the development of its in-home camera and it could debut sometime after the smart home hub.
Apple is also said to be working on another smart doorbell with facial recognition support. The doorbell is said to wirelessly connect to a deadbolt lock and automatically unlock the door for the home’s occupants by simply scanning their face, similar to how Face ID works on iPhones.
The doorbell is also likely to support many of the third-party locks already on the market that support Apple’s HomeKit protocol. Apple could also partner with a specific lock manufacturer to offer a complete system from day one.
Work on Apple’s upcoming smart doorbell is said to be at an early stage and could be released by the end of 2025 at the earliest. The upcoming smart doorbell is expected to provide stiff competition to the likes of Amazon Ring and Google Nest.