Apple bets AI can finally make us want a smart home

Apple's big new hardware bet for the AI era is here, and it's a...smart display? Why it matters : Cue the time machine and let's head back to 2014, when Amazon's Alexa shocked the tech world and led us to imagine a Jetsons-style home would be ours in the near future.

It wasn't, but Apple believes it could come soon.

The iPhone maker is betting that modern AI can finally make good on that vision, unveiling a slew of new smart home devices Tuesday.

Between the lines: While the smart home has largely failed to live up to its promise, modern AI could help address its biggest shortcoming: Getting devices to just work without requiring users to become amateur IT experts.

Apple's new products emphasize easy setup and integration with its existing ecosystem, while AI could help diagnose problems and coordinate devices.

"The capabilities that AI would bring in helping make sure that these devices can solve their own problems and work together is really interesting to me," Paul Gagnon, a vice president at market research firm Circana, told Axios.

Driving the news: Apple's announcements Tuesday included a new smart display, a revamped speaker, an updated streaming device and a collection of connected home accessories developed with partners.

HomeView: Apple's new $299 smart display features a 7-inch screen and an AI-powered Siri that can respond to requests, control connected devices and recognize different household members to deliver personalized information.

It will ship next month and comes in two versions, one that can hang on a wall and the other, a tabletop device reminiscent of the iMac G4.

Apple Home Collection: Apple worked with LG and Schneider Electric on smart locks, doorbells, cameras and thermostats designed to work together through Apple's Home app and Siri.

The big picture: The AI hardware race is taking two different paths: Making familiar devices substantially smarter and creating entirely new kinds of gadgets.

Amazon and Google have been incorporating more capabilities into their respective assistants and accompanying smart home products, efforts that were three years in the making .

Meanwhile, others are betting that the AI era needs new kinds of highly personal devices.

OpenAI is expected to release its first AI device soon, and Meta recently teased plans for Charm , a Tamagotchi-like device meant to bring its Muse assistant to the masses.