Add a video doorbell to the growing list of smart home products Apple is planning, with new reporting suggesting that the tech giant is now developing a competitor to Ring and Google Nest cameras with a model that leverages Face ID and integrates with door locks.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – who has broken mountains of Apple smart home news in recent months – the company’s video doorbell would leverage Face ID to unlock HomeKit-enabled door locks. This feature would mimic how Face ID works on iPhones, scanning a user’s face to unlock the phone.
A video doorbell would nicely round out the list of Apple smart home devices reportedly in development, which now includes a new Apple TV streamer, a new HomePod, a 6-inch smart home display, a larger display mounted on a robotic arm, security cameras equipped with advanced AI, and possibly even a TV set. Patent filings even reveal that the company is exploring augmented reality projectors.
Gurman suggests that the doorbell would compete with products like Google Nest Doorbells and Amazon Ring video doorbells, so an Apple product would likely capture video, although that isn’t clear in the report. However, the company already has a HomeKit Secure Video service with end-to-end encryption for storing footage in iCloud, so the doorbell camera would likely capture video.
It’s also unclear on Apple’s strategy when it comes to door locks, as it may work with third-party HomeKit-enabled locks or another brand for an all-in-one solution, Gurman reports.
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
Like other rumored Apple smart home products, the doorbell would likely include another rumored product, a new Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip, which is reportedly designed to protect user data.
In addition to these new devices, Apple is also reported to be working on some kind of smart home operating system that would power these devices.
It is important to note that these are only rumors, albeit from credible sources such as Gurman and other Apple analysts. However, it remains to be seen if and when Apple will release these products. Previous reporting suggests that some products may go to market this Spring.
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