Apple has unveiled a new lineup of smart home products, including a $299 smart display, betting that modern artificial intelligence can finally make connected home devices easy to use. The announcements mark a significant hardware push for the company as it attempts to revive a market that has struggled to meet consumer expectations since the early days of voice assistants.
The centerpiece of the release is a new smart display featuring a 7-inch screen and an AI-powered version of Siri. This device is designed to respond to requests, control other connected devices, and recognize different household members to provide personalized information. Apple plans to ship the display next month in two versions: one designed to hang on a wall and another tabletop model that resembles the classic iMac G4.
Beyond the display, Apple introduced a revamped speaker and an updated streaming device. The company also collaborated with partners LG and Schneider Electric to develop a collection of connected accessories, including smart locks, doorbells, cameras, and thermostats. These products are designed to work together through Apple's Home app and Siri, emphasizing easy setup and integration with the existing Apple ecosystem.
Paul Gagnon, a vice president at market research firm Circana, told Axios that the ability for AI to help devices solve their own problems and coordinate with one another is a key differentiator. For years, the smart home sector has been criticized for requiring users to act like amateur IT experts to get devices working together. Apple's new products aim to address this by focusing on easy setup and automated coordination.
This strategy places Apple in a competitive landscape where major tech companies are taking different approaches to AI hardware. Amazon and Google have spent the last three years incorporating more capabilities into their existing assistants and smart home products. In contrast, other firms like OpenAI and Meta are exploring entirely new types of gadgets. OpenAI is expected to release its first AI device soon, while Meta has teased Charm, a Tamagotchi-like device intended to bring its Muse assistant to a broader audience.
Despite Apple's history of simplifying complex technology, analysts note that consumer demand for smart home items has been soft. According to Circana, U.S. smart speaker dollar sales fell by 9% in 2024 and dropped another 7% in 2025. Smart displays also saw poor performance before rebounding somewhat this year. Gagnon described the current market as being in an enthusiast or early adopter phase for quite some time.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, suggested that Apple's new products could attract consumers who previously avoided smart home devices due to difficult setup processes. However, it remains unclear whether these advantages will be enough to expand what has remained a niche market, especially as increasingly capable AI assistants are already available on smartphones.