Apple is developing a smart home security camera that would describe events in text generated by on-device AI rather than recording or streaming video, according to a report from The Verge. The camera is part of a new smart home ecosystem alongside a rumored smart home hub.
The device has a cylindrical shape with a low frame rate, described as resembling a metal Chapstick. It uses an image sensor with embedded AI — similar to Sony’s IMX500 — that processes everything on-device without storing video. The camera includes facial recognition but only outputs text descriptions, not images or video. Internally code-named J450, it is a companion to the J490 smart home display.
“You’re not getting anything but text descriptions. There’s nothing you can do with it. There’s no video recording,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman told The Verge.
Apple is also rumored to launch a smart home hub next month and is reportedly developing camera-equipped AirPods. The company’s HomeKit Secure Video already offers a “Detect Activity” setting that stops video streaming while tracking motion. Launch date, pricing, and whether the camera will be first-party or third-party remain unknown.