Apple Again Rumored to Launch Smart Home Camera Alongside HomePod With Display

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today again said that Apple plans to release its own HomeKit-enabled wireless smart home camera in 2026.

Logitech Circle View LargeLogitech Circle View camera

In a blog post about Apple's smart home plans, Kuo said the camera will have tight integration with the rumored HomePod with a display. It is likely that the camera would be sold as an optional accessory alongside the new HomePod hub, providing customers with a home security solution entirely designed by Apple for the first time ever.

Apple would almost certainly tout the privacy and security benefits of its own smart home camera compared to competitors. The company already offers HomeKit Secure Video, which leverages iCloud to securely stream and store video clips from compatible HomeKit cameras, with end-to-end encryption. HomeKit Secure Video cameras can be managed through the Home app on Apple devices, just like other HomeKit accessories. Examples of HomeKit Secure Video cameras include the Logitech Circle View and the Eve Cam.

Apple's smart home camera could also have some additional features not available on third-party HomeKit cameras, but no specifics are known yet.

Kuo expects Apple to begin mass production of the HomePod with a display in the second half of 2025, but he did not provide a release timeframe. He expects the device to feature a 6-7 inch display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support.

It is not entirely clear if Kuo is referring to the same Apple smart home hub that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects to launch as early as March 2025. Gurman said the hub will have around a six-inch display and support Apple Intelligence, so some of the rumored specifications sound the same at the very least. Gurman said the hub can be mounted on a wall, or attached to an optional HomePod-like speaker base. If these rumored devices are one and the same, then a launch might be a little further away than previously expected.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

sunapple Avatar
10 months ago
Got an idea for its design, here's a rough mockup:



Attachment Image
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
10 months ago
Sigh. I want outdoor cameras, not indoor.

POE would sure be nice, too... I know it's never going to happen, though.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Christoffee Avatar
10 months ago
Apple needs to build up its ecosystem. With the lack of trust around so much tech, routers and home security would be great. And it may encourage them to really make something decent out of HomeKit.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Will Co Avatar
10 months ago
Make a proper outdoor camera that is designed for permanent operation. None of this wireless-from-batteries-nonsense where you have to climb the ladder every few months, and the cameras don't do permanent recording and analysis of the video. Let's do it properly. A POE Ethernet port, thank-you.

And make it affordable. Oh hang on. This is Apple....
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McWetty Avatar
10 months ago
Give me a camera with 4K support in HK.
Give me a HomePod Frame to replace my garbage Echo Show 15.
Give me a new AirPort Extreme with HK secure support (or IoT dedicated band).
And then take my money.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stocklen Avatar
10 months ago
seems like many of these analysts claims don't ever have to come of anything and this is another that seems far fetched.

Firstly, why would Apple want to join the market when so many others are there selling cameras.

Secondly, the Apple cameras will not be pitched to compete price-wise with others and will not sell well - I cant see a camera having some killer feature that others don't do.

That said, there are NOT many decent choices for HomeKit secure cameras out there even now. Apple should make better inroads at getting other manufacturers to make HomeKit secure cameras rather than try to make their own. Change the specs so that its not capped at 1080p for example to make them more attractive devices for people.

I tried the Logitech circle view camera, and it was terrible. Constant disconnections and was offline more than it was online making it useless for security.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)