Apple launches its first branded smart home hardware lineup after more than a decade of relying on third-party developers
The Home Collection, developed with LG and Schneider Electric, marks Apple's entry into manufacturing smart home devices alongside its new HomeView smart display.
What happened
Apple announced the Home Collection, a lineup of cameras, thermostats, sensors, a smart door lock, and video doorbell codeveloped with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. The devices launch alongside HomeView, Apple's first smart display. According to The Verge's reporting, products start at $200. Most devices are Matter-compatible and support Thread; cameras use Apple's proprietary HomeKit Secure Video rather than Matter. According to The Verge, Apple is partnering with ADT through Apple retail stores for installation. According to Apple VP Kaiann Drance, the company developed the line because two key technologies matured: Matter, the interoperable smart home standard, and advances in AI-powered Siri.
Context
For more than a decade, Apple has maintained HomeKit as a platform for third-party devices but lacked its own branded hardware, leaving it disadvantaged against Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest ecosystems. The Home Collection represents Apple's attempt to close that gap by offering integrated, pre-vetted devices with simplified setup and end-to-end encryption. Research from Parks Associates shows the primary barriers to smart home adoption are perceived lack of value, complexity, privacy concerns, and cost; Apple addresses the first three in its pitch but does not lower prices. The strategy centers HomeView as an entry point—users buying a display for music and recipes may later add cameras and locks as they recognize smart home utility. Apple maintains that the Home Collection supplements rather than replaces its broader ecosystem of Matter-compatible and HomeKit-certified third-party devices.