Apple developing year-long battery cameras to challenge Ring and Nest in the smart home cul-de-sac

Apple is reportedly developing an ecosystem of home security devices including smart cameras and doorbell systems to compete directly with Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest products. The initiative represents Apple’s broader push into AI-powered robotics and smart home automation, with plans for multiple hardware and software products designed to integrate seamlessly across the home environment.

What you should know: Apple’s home security ambitions extend far beyond the Face ID-enabled doorbell Bloomberg first reported in December.
• The company is developing battery-powered security cameras that could last “from several months to a year on a single charge.”
• These devices will feature facial recognition and infrared sensors to identify who is in a room at any given time.
• Apple envisions users placing cameras throughout their homes to enable advanced automation, such as automatically turning off lights when someone leaves a room or playing music tailored to specific family members’ preferences.

The big picture: This represents Apple’s most aggressive move yet into the smart home security market, positioning the company to challenge established players with its trademark ecosystem approach.
• Apple plans to “develop multiple types of cameras and home-security products as part of an entirely new hardware and software lineup.”
• The strategy leverages artificial intelligence as the foundation for expanding into robotics, home security, and smart displays.
• No timeline has been provided for when these security products might launch.

What else is coming: Apple continues work on additional smart home devices with more concrete timelines.
• A tabletop robot device described as “an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can swivel and reposition itself to follow users in a room” is targeting a 2027 launch.
• A smart home display product is slated to launch in the middle of next year.

Why this matters: Apple’s entry into home security could significantly disrupt a market currently dominated by Amazon and Google, potentially offering tighter integration with existing Apple devices and services that could appeal to the company’s loyal user base.