Apple Launches Its Own Smart Home Lineup With HomeView Display

The products start at $200 and are pitched around one-tap setup, end-to-end encryption, no separate accounts or apps, and integration through Apple Home. The Verge reported Apple is also working with ADT through Apple Retail stores to help customers install the devices. The pitch is meant to answer a common customer question about which products should be put in a home. Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of product marketing for home, told The Verge that Matter offers a lot of choice, and there are many great products, but customers sometimes ask for a shorter recommendation list.

Apple says the timing depends on two technologies. The first is Matter, the interoperable smart home standard Apple helped found, which provides ecosystem support. The second is AI, which enables a more conversational Siri voice assistant. Drance told The Verge that with Siri AI, the experience comes together in a way Apple could not deliver before, which was critical to creating a dedicated home device in HomeView.

HomeView is positioned as a gateway. The Verge reported that Apple hopes customers who buy HomeView for music, guided cooking recipes or calendar checks will then add a camera or smart lock. Drance said Apple has seen that once people try a single smart device and find it easier than expected, it unlocks an understanding of what is possible when those products are brought into the home. She argued that most people simply do not know what a smart home can do.

The context is Apple's 12-year-old HomeKit ecosystem still feels underdeveloped compared with Amazon and Google, The Verge reported. Amazon and Google support more products and have in-house brands Ring and Nest, while Apple previously had nothing of its own to point customers to as an Apple experience. Research from Parks Associates cited by The Verge found the biggest barrier to buying smart devices is that people see no value in the products; privacy and security concerns, complexity and cost also rank high. Elizabeth Parks, president and CMO at Parks Associates, told The Verge that Apple product owners are very loyal and the user base is large.

Rather than build the devices entirely itself, Apple chose to codevelop the lineup with partners that have home expertise. Drance told The Verge that LG has more experience in consumer products, while Schneider brings home build and installations. She said Apple contributed design aesthetic suitable for the home and its product family.

In a separate 9to5Mac column, HomeKit Weekly, the focus was on using existing Apple Home gear for Halloween and Christmas automations. The column said users should first have a home hub: an Apple TV, HomePod or HomePod mini signed into iCloud, because automations and remote control require one. It recommended outdoor-rated smart plugs rather than indoor plugs for decorations, with two independently controlled outlets useful for running an inflatable and lights on different schedules. It noted Eve Energy costs more but supports Thread, and indoor smart plugs can control a Christmas tree or a Halloween window display or fog machine.

For Halloween, 9to5Mac said motion sensors near a walkway can trigger a light when someone approaches, and color-capable porch bulbs can be set to orange or deep purple. For Christmas, the column recommended plugging the tree into an Apple Home or Matter smart plug and giving it a simple Siri-friendly name. Automations can be created in the Home app under the Automations tab using Time of Day, with sunset as a common trigger and a second automation to turn everything off, such as at 11 p.m. The column advised simple device names like Front Yard Lights so the same setup works across seasons.

Editor's Summary

Apple has entered the smart home hardware market with the Apple Home Collection and HomeView, relying on LG, Schneider and ADT for development and installation while emphasizing easy setup and privacy. The move follows years of HomeKit lagging behind Amazon and Google, and Apple is betting HomeView can draw users deeper into its ecosystem. Meanwhile, existing Apple Home users are being encouraged to set up seasonal automations now for Halloween and Christmas.