After years of mixed results, is Apple hoping to dominate the smart home market? Credit: Pexels
- Apple is reportedly looking to finally catch up in the smart home technology market.
- The iPhone-maker is betting on Apple Intelligence to supercharge its offerings.
- Smart home devices are one of the most “hackable” forms of tech, according to experts.
After years of mixed results, Apple is finally looking to make a significant swing in the smart home market.
The iPhone-maker is reportedly betting on stronger AI to help make a new lane for itself in smart home tech, but the tech giant will need to make sure it mitigates rising cybersecurity concerns.
Apple’s Home Focus
A report from Bloomberg claimed that Apple is looking to capture the home market with an aggressive strategy: putting screens and software all over the home.
While Amazon and Google devices have brought a variety of features and advanced voice capabilities to the home, Apple’s HomeKit struggled with more restrictive security requirements.
This ultimately slowed down third-party adoption of Apple’s products and left it trailing behind its rivals.
Apple’s HomePod, its answer to Amazon’s Alexa, also suffered in its early versions due to the limitation of Siri.
According to the Bloomberg report, Apple will be focusing on making its new home hardware work with as many accessories as possible.
Previously, Apple’s attempts at smart home tech were based in a closed ecosystem – making it hard to connect it with other pieces of technology throughout the house.
Apple Intelligence To Drive Home Devices
In June 2024, the tech giant announced Apple Intelligence, its proprietary AI system which has OpenAI’s ChatGPT integrated.
Apple may use its Intelligence platform to offer users a new level of home automation, including the precise controlling of applications through Siri.
Apple recently developed a smart home protocol alongside Amazon and Google, Matter, which enables interoperability between devices.
Two years on, Apple has yet to fully leverage Matter. Now, while seemingly clear in its new focus, Apple will face challenges when it comes to ensuring the security of all its new home devices.
Cybersecurity Risks
Durgan Cooper, Juberi CEO and advisor to the House of Lords, said that it’s essential Apple consider the cybersecurity risks that come with increased connectivity.
In order for smart home devices to work effectively, they often need to collect data such as voice commands, location information and energy usage patterns. This data, if improperly secured , can be leaked, leading to surveillance or data mining without the user’s consent.
For example, a compromised smart camera could be used to spy on homeowners, while smart speakers might capture conversations.
Cooper believes one of the biggest concerns with smart home devices is ransomware attacks.
“We’ve already seen examples of cybercriminals targeting individuals by locking them out of their own systems or controlling smart devices until a ransom is paid,” Cooper said.
“There is also the risk of pure damage or destruction—hijacking smart home systems to disable security cameras, unlock doors, or manipulate energy consumption could lead to dangerous situations, especially as more households become reliant on these technologies.”
Cooper shared how Apple will need to ensure regular security patching to mitigate these risks.
“While Apple is known for maintaining tight control over its ecosystem and regularly releasing security updates, consumers must ensure that their devices—whether from Apple or other mainstream brands—are consistently kept up to date with the latest patches,” he added.
In January 2024, research from construction service provider CraftJack revealed that one in three U.S. citizens are worried about their smart home devices getting hacked.
This was backed up by Oxford cybersecurity professor Sadie Creese in the U.K., who warned MPs that their smart home devices could leave them vulnerable to attack.
Spencer Starkey, Executive VP at cybersecurity company SonicWall, told CCN that smart devices are some of the most “vulnerable” and “hackable” devices on the market.
“The most worrying part is, these are the devices that hold our most personal data, what we discuss at home, where we go for runs, and they connect to all aspects of work and home life,” he said.
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