Apple has big plans for the smart home in 2025

Apple has big plans for the smart home in 2025. After long struggling with limited device support and complex standards, the company wants to move forward with simplified platforms, deeper device integration and improved software. This change in strategy is aimed at strengthening Apple’s ecosystem and making it competitive at a time when the larger industry is pinning its hopes on Matter and Thread relaunching a faltering market.

In this article, we outline Apple’s smart home strategy for 2025 and explain what it means for the HomePod series.

The seamless smart home

Apple plans to significantly expand compatibility with cross-industry standards by 2025. Apple already supports the universal standard Matter, which makes it easier for you to use a wide range of smart home products from different manufacturers. The brands Eve and Nanoleaf, which are well-established in the Apple ecosystem, were among the first to jump on the bandwagon, and others are gradually joining.

By doing this, Apple is breaking away from previous limitations and opening up its platform to a wider range of devices. But it will also make it much easier for users to pick and choose which manufacturers they want to buy from and find the best choice. This can be a double-edged sword, as Apple is rarely the cheapest option.

Apple Intelligence is also a central element of the new strategy. This AI-based technology is designed to understand commands, respond flexibly and perform complex tasks. It is intended to improve Siri so that the voice assistant can better implement contextualized commands. The goal is a true smart home experience where your devices respond efficiently to your needs and work seamlessly together.

YouTube / Apple

There’s no place like homeOS

A key element of the new strategy is the introduction of homeOS. This operating system is intended to bring together multiple lines of hardware and form the basis of a standardized smart home. Currently, the Apple TV has tvOS running in the background, while the HomePod runs custom software. In the future, homeOS can act as a common platform that provides updates and features faster.

The new homeOS software will not be limited to HomePod and Apple TV: it will also play a role in new device categories. These could include desktop smart displays that allow you to control your home devices more directly and intuitively, rather than using the cumbersome controls of an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. This would benefit both HomePod and HomePod mini: the more devices controlled via homeOS, the more seamlessly your HomePod integrates into the overall experience.

But one question remains unanswered: What will the smart screen be able to offer that cannot already be achieved with a (cheap) iPad?

Apple

Where does this leave the HomePod?

The HomePod series has hardly evolved since the launch of the original model. Although there have been software updates, there have been no real hardware innovations. We don’t even want to talk about the 2nd generation HomePod; rarely has there been such a loveless relaunch of an Apple product.

However, as part of the new strategy, Apple could give HomePod and HomePod mini more importance.

In the future, the HomePod must be able to handle Apple Intelligence. This is not yet the case as the hardware requirements are high and HomePods are controlled by lower power chips from the Apple Watch series. But Apple will likely equip future generations of HomePods with more powerful chips to process complex local commands. This would allow Siri to respond more intelligently to the HomePod without delays caused by cloud processing, and would allow Apple to address the HomePod’s biggest weakness: its limited voice assistance.

The next generation HomePod mini should also benefit from the new strategies. Improved processors and optimized wireless standards such as Wi-Fi 6E should reduce response times and make operation smoother and more intuitive. Apple could also upgrade its sensor technology to better capture environmental data, which would make it easier to use an updated HomePod mini as a smart hub.

Another factor is new screens. Apple is believed to be working on HomePod variants with an integrated screen, and while these won’t appear for some time, they could significantly improve the HomePod family. With a display, the speakers could be used much more flexibly, for example for video calls or viewing camera images. The idea is not entirely new; Amazon has offered the Echo Show for a long time.

The smart home of the future

Support for Matter, the introduction of homeOS, and the deeper integration of Apple Intelligence into Siri will all drive Apple’s smart home ecosystem forward. For the HomePod and HomePod mini, this means a long-awaited upgrade.

While Siri was previously seen as a weak point, better hardware, AI capabilities and a simplified software platform could make the HomePod a valuable home hub in the future. While new HomePods with screens and significantly upgraded hardware may not launch until after 2025, Apple is laying the groundwork for a more powerful smart home offering.