Apple plans 2027 home security service with privacy-focused AI device, report says

In that report, Gurman described Apple's planned in-home security sensor and system as a privacy-centric home security camera and automation device that would use AI to monitor the environment instead of actual video footage. The device, he wrote, would tap into a new home security and monitoring service.

Apple is expected to debut several new Home products in coming months as part of a broader push into the smart home. Those products, according to earlier coverage of Gurman's reporting, include a new Apple TV 4K, a HomePod mini, and a home hub known as HomePad.

Separately, code references in audioOS 27 beta 8 point to new HomePod features under development. A user on the MacRumors forums found support for arranging four full-size second-generation HomePods into a surround sound system. Front speakers would handle left- and right-specific processing and compensate for placement near walls and corners, while rear HomePods would use an omnidirectional treatment to fill the space behind and around the listener.

The same code references dynamic audio tuning so a four-speaker system could adjust processing to match content such as movies or music. It also includes a setup identified as Forklift that would pair two full-size second-generation HomePods with two speakers that do not correspond to any current HomePod product. Another feature, called Party Mode, is described in the code as spreading sound into a wider, more ambient mix to fill a room evenly rather than create a perfect listening spot in front of the speakers.

Apple has not said whether the HomePod features will ship. The code findings follow Bloomberg reporting that Apple could release a new HomePod mini within several months and is testing a new full-sized HomePod, although that full-sized product is not imminent. Apple's current full-sized HomePod was released in February 2023.