Apple Reportedly Developing Smart Home Camera That Won't Record Video

Engadget reported on Oct. 2 that Gurman described the camera as a companion product to Apple's unannounced smart home display, which Apple refers to internally as J490. The cameras are said to be small, cylindrical devices resembling a tube of lip balm, installed around the home. They will have a very low frame rate and, crucially, will not offer video recording as a feature, according to the report.

The device is intended to use AI to analyze movement, rather than capture moving images. Gurman said it is unclear whether users will be able to pull still images from it, but it will support facial recognition. If the camera identifies someone walking into a room, it can notify the user whether that person is known, but the user will receive only text descriptions, according to Engadget.

The lack of video footage could limit its usefulness to police after a break-in, as Gurman noted, but Engadget said the added privacy layer would distinguish Apple's camera in a crowded market. Apple appears to be responding to concerns about over-surveillance and data handling, the report said.

Gurman added that the security camera will use technology very similar to what Apple plans for camera-equipped AirPods, which leaked over the summer. According to Engadget, code in an early build of macOS Tahoe 26.7 indicated those AirPods would each have tiny embedded cameras that take extremely low-resolution RGB still images, analyzable with Visual Intelligence. After Meta's "pervert glasses" fallout, Apple's camera-equipped AirPods reportedly will not be able to take pictures or record video.

The camera report follows Gurman's prediction earlier this week that Apple's long-awaited home hub could arrive later in October. In the debut episode of his Power On podcast, he also predicted more powerful HomePod mini and Apple TV models, both of which would support the new Siri AI ecosystem, Engadget reported. Engadget noted that Apple improved Siri in this year's major OS updates and that the smart home is expected to be a focus in the coming months. Apple has not announced the camera, and the report did not provide a release date or pricing.

Editor's Summary Apple is reportedly preparing a smart home camera that uses AI to analyze activity and recognize faces without recording video. The device is said to be part of a Siri-focused smart home lineup that could include a home hub, updated HomePod mini and Apple TV. The report says privacy is the trade-off: users may receive text alerts but no footage for police or later review.