The Verge Urges Apple to Build a Home Server as Its Next Computer

The argument follows John Ternus's first keynote as Apple CEO. According to The Verge, Ternus did not mention Apple Home once during the presentation. He opened by describing an "intelligent personal hub" that prioritizes local processing, protects privacy and integrates with a user's other devices, apps and services. The piece notes that Ternus was talking about the iPhone, not a new smart home device, but says the description matches what it wants Apple to make.

Rumors suggest Apple's first smart home hub with a screen is imminent. The Verge calls that device long overdue but says it is likely to be more interface than infrastructure: something that can run a home locally while still relying on the cloud. What the smart home needs, the piece argues, is a computer to run it, one that controls and processes data from connected devices inside the home to improve speed, reliability and privacy while storing photos, files, music and movies.

The cloud has worked well for years, but the proliferation of AI-powered home features makes local computing more compelling, according to the commentary. Generating text descriptions from security camera footage is one example: on-device processing can be faster and more private and depends less on an internet connection. The piece adds that such features will evolve quickly to feed more context into smart homes, increasing both their utility and the need for privacy and security.

Dedicated home computers were an emerging category at last week's IFA consumer tech show, The Verge reports. Anker launched its Eufy MindBase home hub and Ugreen debuted its HomeAgent; both combine network-attached storage and local AI to process and store footage from cameras with a smart home hub that connects devices.

Networking is the piece still missing, the commentary says. Most home routers have not caught up with today's smart home, and manufacturers and internet service providers have been reluctant to take on the complexity. Comcast has had Thread and Matter support in its gateways since 2022 but has not turned them on, and Ikea's recent troubles rolling out new Matter-over-Thread devices are cited as one example of how difficult connecting devices to a home network remains. When things fail, manufacturers, ISPs and platforms point fingers at one another, according to the piece.

The proposal is to combine all three functions in one Apple box. Connected to a modem, it would act as a Wi-Fi router, Matter controller, Thread border router, smart home hub, private AI computer and home server. It would store files, photos, music and movies, process camera footage locally, run automations even when the internet is down and optionally back everything up to iCloud. Plug it in, sign in with an Apple account, and it works, the commentary says.

The Verge acknowledges there is no evidence Apple is building such a device, but points to the company's recent contributions to OpenWrt, the open-source software that powers most routers, as a possible tentative first step.

Apple has combined similar pieces before, according to the piece: AirPort Express put networking and media streaming on one box, AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule added NAS capabilities, and HomeKit Secure Routers brought Apple's security into the network itself. Apple walked away from all of those products in 2018, saying at the time it might return if it found a meaningful way to progress routers further. The company is deeply involved in developing Matter and is spearheading the Thread networking protocol. Matter has a blueprint for part of such a device: the Home Router Access Point device type combines Wi-Fi networking and Thread Border Router functionality, and Apple's OpenWrt contributions focus on HRAP implementation.

Citing reporting by Matter Alpha, The Verge says Apple's code includes production-grade networking infrastructure that could be turned into a consumer product. There is no evidence that is what Apple is doing, and the code could simply be intended for router manufacturers. The piece also notes that Apple is bringing Apple Intelligence to its HomeKit Secure Video service in iOS 27.