Apple on Tuesday launched a raft of smart products, including an iPad-like device dubbed the HomeView, in a bet that its AI-upgraded Siri virtual assistant can help it carve out a bigger share of the highly competitive connected home market.

The HomeView device, which starts at $299 and starts shipping next month, is Apple’s latest entry into a highly competitive market for connected home devices. It will feature a 7in screen and face recognition and will help users control doorbells, thermostats and smart locks in a market where Apple has tinkered for a decade without major success.

Apple is launching these products as it tries to fend off competition from rivals, including traditional competitors like Amazon.com, which has invested heavily in its Echo speakers and Ring doorbells and last week launched premium tablets, as well as newer AI upstarts like OpenAI that have hardware ambitions of their own.

“Apple needs to demonstrate that its AI capabilities can deliver meaningful benefits beyond basic voice commands, simplifying everyday tasks and bringing greater intelligence to the home,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

Investors are looking more closely at Apple’s hardware sales for growth. The company’s services revenue has come under regulatory pressure, although that could also eventually get a boost from the new suite of devices.

“The objective seems to be to drive high-margin services revenue via Apple TV, Apple Pay and iCloud,” said Melissa Otto, head of Visible Alpha Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, noting that Apple’s 2027 services revenue is forecast to rise 12 per cent to $138 billion.

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