Apple’s future Home devices have a key feature in common that explains a lot

Apple is working on several new smart home products this year and beyond, including a home doorbell and video camera. Among the many smart home announcements at CES, a common theme emerged that points to a key reason why new Apple products might even exist.

Apple’s renewed ambitions to create a home will begin this year

Apple has been treating the home as something of a hobby for years. HomePod and Apple TV 4K aren’t all that important to Apple, but they clearly don’t represent a strong commitment to the smart home market.

But the situation is changing. Three new products for the home: launch this yearincluding HomePad Smart Display This is a completely new product category for Apple.

However, starting next year, Apple will enter equally intriguing territory. The company will begin producing its own smart home devices, which have historically been outsourced to third parties:

I’ve written before about how these two new products could challenge Apple’s long-standing principle say “no” to far more new businesses than say “yes.”

But one key trend in the smart home space may explain a lot about why Apple is expanding.

Home device subscriptions are on the rise

Just today Amazon announced that its Ring division is launching a $5-a-month subscription service for smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring. Plus, Arlo has just raised prices for its home camera cloud storage plans.

Smart home devices do not have regular update cycles. Users tend to buy them, install them, and keep them until they break.

Subscriptions are a key way smart home device makers can generate recurring revenue from their customers.

And subscriptions could also be a great explanation for why Apple is starting to make more of its own smart home devices, and why it’s making the camera and doorbell in particular.

Apple One and iCloud+ plan to attract more subscribers with new Apple products for the home

Apple already offers one home-related subscription feature. It’s called HomeKit Secure Videowhich can be unlocked with an iCloud+ subscription. And iCloud+ is included with Apple One Premier.

Here’s how HomeKit Secure Video works: for Apple:

With HomeKit Secure Video, you can add home security cameras to the Home app to record footage and view it anywhere. It’s all encrypted, and not a single video counts against your iCloud storage. You can access HomeKit Secure Video on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.

The video is privately analyzed by your Home Hub using the device’s built-in data to determine whether people, pets or vehicles are present. You can view your activity for the last 10 days in the Home app.

HomeKit Secure Video is a great feature from Apple, but it currently only applies to third-party cameras.

But what do a home camera and a video doorbell, two brand new smart home devices from Apple, have in common?

They will both be able to use HomeKit Secure Video. And thus, they will be able to earn Apple more revenue from subscriptions.

With its own devices, Apple can push HomeKit Secure Video more aggressively to users and is even interested in improving the feature.

Is this the only reason Apple makes its own home camera and doorbell? Of course not. There are many benefits that Apple could gain from selling more of its own smart home products.

But was the potential for increased subscription revenue a motivator for Apple? Did this tip the balance in favor of Apple creating these two smart devices?

I would be very surprised if this were not the case.

The move also points the way forward for future products.

If Apple can build new home-focused services into its existing Apple One subscription, the package will prove even more attractive to Apple users.

Ultimately, this is a win for both Apple and its users.

Are you interested in Apple’s new home camera and doorbell? Will you be using HomeKit Secure Video? Let us know in the comments.

The Best HomeKit Smart Home Accessories