Apple readies AI-powered smart home devices like Tabletop product, Intelligent cameras etc.

Apple is preparing a major AI-driven expansion into smart home devices, signaling a significant push fueled by artificial intelligence to compete with Amazon, Google, and other established players.

Here is the key elements of this plan include:

• A tabletop robot codenamed J595, expected around 2027. This robot features an iPad-sized display mounted on a motorized arm capable of swiveling to follow users throughout a room. It acts as a virtual companion with an AI-driven personality, enhanced video call capabilities, and sophisticated Siri interaction powered by large language models for conversational and proactive assistance. This represents Apple’s ambitious entry into home robotics.

• A smart display device codenamed J490, slated for release by mid-2026. It looks like a square iPad screen mounted on a wall and runs a new multi-user operating system called “Charismatic.” Unlike traditional Siri, this device expects users to interact mostly through voice commands with an upgraded Siri that offers personalized experiences using facial recognition and spatial sensing of household members.

• A lineup of battery-powered home security cameras codenamed J450 with facial recognition and infrared sensors. These cameras automate household functions (e.g., turning lights on/off, playing personalized music) and compete directly with Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest. The cameras integrate tightly with Apple’s Home app and iCloud+ for secure video storage.

• A revamped Siri assistant, internally codenamed Linwood, built from the ground up with large language model technology. This new Siri aims to transcend simple command-based interaction to become a conversational, proactive AI companion capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks across Apple’s ecosystem. It will power all these new smart home devices, enabling deeper automation and richer user experiences.

• These devices and software are part of Apple’s strategic effort to diversify its business beyond traditional mobile devices, enhance its AI capabilities, and build a cohesive, AI-powered smart home ecosystem that leverages Apple’s strengths in privacy, hardware-software integration, and user experience design.

• Apple is expected to showcase progress on this smart home ecosystem soon, with the smart display device potentially launching later this year (2025), and the more advanced robot arriving in 2027.

This ambitious push is partly driven by critiques that Apple has lagged in generative AI and home automation compared to competitors, and it comes as the company seeks new growth avenues after slower innovation cycles in core products like iPhones and mixed reactions to other products like the Vision Pro headset.

In summary, Apple’s AI-powered smart home devices include:

• A smart wall-mounted display (J490) with a new OS focusing on multi-user voice interaction.
• A robotic tabletop companion (J595) with a swiveling screen and advanced AI.
• Intelligent battery-powered security cameras (J450) with automation capabilities.
• A fundamentally redesigned, conversational Siri assistant (Linwood).

Together, they form a holistic, AI-centered smart home vision targeting releases between late 2025 and 2027, elevating Apple’s footprint in home automation and AI-driven interactions.