Apple is launching three new Home products this year: ‘HomePad,’ a new Apple TV 4K, and HomePod mini 2. At least two of these devices will come with a key upgrade that could make a big difference for the smart home’s future.
New Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip from Apple coming soon
Mark Gurman has reported that Apple’s new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 are coming near the end of this year.
At this point, we don’t know a lot about the upgraded Home products.
What we do know: they’ll both include a brand new, Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip.
The chip is codenamed Proxima, and it could make a big difference to the smart home’s future.
To understand why, here are a few excerpts from Gurman’s Bloomberg report:
- “Apple’s goal is to develop an end-to-end wireless approach that is tightly integrated with its other components and more energy-efficient”
- “The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip ensures that Apple devices can get online via wireless networks and pair to peripherals like headphones and speakers”
- “With a homegrown wireless chip in Apple’s smart home devices, the products will work more closely together and potentially synchronize data more quickly”
Gurman also explicitly ties the chip’s benefits to Apple’s Home ambitions, with a “significant smart home push” starting this year.
Benefits of Apple’s new chip for its Home ambitions
I was reminded of Gurman’s report when writing about the Thread radio that Apple has recently started adding to iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
When Apple first added the Thread radio to the iPhone 15 Pro, it wasn’t tied to any specific new features. But now we know why. Apple was laying the groundwork for an improved smart home experience with Matter and more.
Similarly, Apple switching to its own in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip may not seem particularly exciting.
But as Gurman notes, it could bring a variety of benefits that make all of Apple’s devices work better together.
HomeKit, for all its strengths, still suffers from a reliability problem at times.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some of the first devices to get Apple’s new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip will be Home products.
Apple’s years-in-the-works chip project is being prioritized for inclusion in products that, yes, are a bit lower risk for Apple, but also that will be key components of a new smart home agenda.
Next year, for the first time there will be Apple-made smart home accessories available for purchase: a camera and a doorbell.
Apple’s hopes to win the smart home depend on a system that works reliably and seamlessly. This new chip could be a key piece of that puzzle.
I’m ready for a more robust Home strategy from Apple, and it looks like that’s finally coming very soon.
Do you expect Apple’s Home ambitions to benefit from the new chip? Let us know in the comments.
Best HomeKit smart home accessories
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
