Apple's big new hardware bet for the AI era is here, and it's a...smart display?
Why it matters: Cue the time machine and let's head back to 2014, when Amazon's Alexa shocked the tech world and led us to imagine a Jetsons-style home would be ours in the near future.
- It wasn't, but Apple believes it could come soon. The iPhone maker is betting that modern AI can finally make good on that vision, unveiling a slew of new smart home devices Tuesday.
Between the lines: While the smart home has largely failed to live up to its promise, modern AI could help address its biggest shortcoming: Getting devices to just work without requiring users to become amateur IT experts.
- Apple's new products emphasize easy setup and integration with its existing ecosystem, while AI could help diagnose problems and coordinate devices.
- "The capabilities that AI would bring in helping make sure that these devices can solve their own problems and work together is really interesting to me," Paul Gagnon, a vice president at market research firm Circana, told Axios.
Driving the news: Apple's announcements Tuesday included a new smart display, a revamped speaker, an updated streaming device and a collection of connected home accessories developed with partners.
- HomeView: Apple's new $299 smart display features a 7-inch screen and an AI-powered Siri that can respond to requests, control connected devices and recognize different household members to deliver personalized information. It will ship next month and comes in two versions, one that can hang on a wall and the other, a tabletop device reminiscent of the iMac G4.
- Apple Home Collection: Apple worked with LG and Schneider Electric on smart locks, doorbells, cameras and thermostats designed to work together through Apple's Home app and Siri.
The big picture: The AI hardware race is taking two different paths: Making familiar devices substantially smarter and creating entirely new kinds of gadgets.
- Amazon and Google have been incorporating more capabilities into their respective assistants and accompanying smart home products, efforts that were three years in the making.
- Meanwhile, others are betting that the AI era needs new kinds of highly personal devices. OpenAI is expected to release its first AI device soon, and Meta recently teased plans for Charm, a Tamagotchi-like device meant to bring its Muse assistant to the masses.
Reality check: Apple has a loyal customer base and a history of making complicated technology easier to use. But that doesn't guarantee consumers will spend more on a category that has struggled to generate sustained demand.
- U.S. smart speaker dollar sales fell 9% in 2024 and another 7% in 2025, and smart displays fared poorly as well before rebounding somewhat this year, according to Circana.
- "We have definitely been in a, we'll call it, an enthusiast phase or early adopters phase for quite a while now," said Circana's Gagnon.
Zoom out: Better AI doesn't necessarily mean consumers will rush to buy more smart home devices, particularly when increasingly capable AI assistants are already available on smartphones.
- Apple could benefit from its large installed base of iPhone owners and its ability to simplify setup, but it remains unclear whether those advantages will expand what has remained a niche market.
"The new smart home products could appeal to consumers who have previously resisted buying smart home devices because they are perceived as difficult to set up and sometimes hard to use," Ben Wood, chief analyst of CCS Insight, told Axios.
The bottom line: A decade ago, the smart home promised to change how we live. AI may finally make that possible. But Apple still has to convince consumers that the home needs another screen or speaker — not just a smarter phone.