Apple is finally getting serious about the smart home, with three new Home products launching in 2025 and several more after that. Excited as I am for this new Home momentum, it also reminds me of a long-standing Apple rule that could be challenged by this lineup of new products.
New Home products coming soon from Apple
Mark Gurman has reported that 2025 kicks off a big new focus from Apple on its Home products.
The new year will bring:
‘HomePad,’ a new smart display
HomePod mini 2
plus an Apple TV 4K revision
Then in 2026 and beyond, Apple will reportedly launch its own smart home camera and a video doorbell with smart lock integration.
If these various products prove successful, we could see even more Home debuts in the future—hopefully including a revived AirPort router.
All of this sounds great to me. I’ve long wished Apple would dedicate more resources toward its Home lineup.
But these plans also raise an interesting question.
What happened to ‘a thousand no’s for every yes’?
Apple’s long-standing product rule in question
For as long as I can remember, Apple has had a key design principle: ‘there are a thousand no’s for every yes.’
These exact words were highlighted by the company in a video that kicked off WWDC 2013.
They’ve also been used at various points internally and externally to demonstrate a basic principle: focus matters.
Apple would rather make a few really great products than a whole bunch of just-good ones.
Despite being one of the most successful companies in the world, Apple still has limited resources. The more it says yes to, the more its focus is split.
Which makes me curious about the company’s decision to say yes to creating its own smart home camera and doorbell products.
Home camera and doorbell represent big new direction for Apple
Apple’s forthcoming ‘HomePad’ is a brand new product category, but in my mind at least, it fits in well with the company’s existing Home products.
HomePad should pair nicely with the HomePod and Apple TV as a device for interacting with Siri and viewing content.
The forthcoming smart camera and doorbell, however, feel like a different beast.
Historically Apple has shied away from making its own HomeKit accessories. Things like light bulbs, thermostats, smart locks, garage door openers, and more.
Yet now, a smart camera and doorbell are on the way to change that.
I’m thrilled for these products to arrive, as I expect they’ll make compelling alternatives to the existing third-party options. Especially if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem.
But if Apple’s going deeper into making smart home accessories, will we see Apple light bulbs in the future? Smart air purifiers? I doubt it. But I’m also unsure how the company is deciding which products to tackle itself, and which to leave to third parties.
I want as many Home products from Apple as possible. But I’m also mindful that the company can’t do everything.
A camera and doorbell will likely take advantage of a lot of existing Apple tech, so maybe that’s why they’re coming. But there are plenty of unanswered questions heading into this new era for Apple’s Home division.
What do you think of Apple expanding its Home product lineup? Let us know in the comments.
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