Just before the holidays, there is speculation about several new products from Apple that will fall in the company’s accessories category. However, one expectation – the revival of the once popular Airport Wi-Fi routers with new Apple chips – is not confirmed. This is what the generally well-informed Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said in his report weekend newspaper,
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Router area still without airport
After a long time with no hardware improvements, Apple withdrew its successful Wi-Fi series from the market in 2018 with the standard model AirPort Extreme, the compact device AirPort Express and the simple NAS Time Capsule. Since then, fans of easy-to-use routers have been hoping for a resurgence of the product line. One possible reason would be the fact that Apple is apparently close to introducing its own combined WLAN and Bluetooth chips, which could make their debut in the first products as early as 2025.
“Although I personally believe (the revival of the AirPort product line) would be great, I need to make one thing clear: Apple is not working on an AirPort wireless router.” However, may chip codename proximaTheoretically, turning an Apple TV or HomePod into an access point, Gurman continued. Google has already released products that combine smart speakers and WiFi routers. However, Apple will not make it the main selling point of such devices.
HomeKit Doorbell and AirPods Pro 3 with health features
What Apple is apparently working on, however, is a new HomeKit doorbell. According to Gurman, there is no speculation yet about this product; The purpose of this is to take advantage of Apple’s good privacy image. The “smart doorbell” may have “advanced facial recognition” with connection to door locks from other manufacturers. But it is also possible that Apple cooperates with a specific provider. “The idea is that the doorbell will automatically open the door when a resident scans their face.” Currently, Face ID is said to have a 1 in 1 million chance of being mistakenly identified. “However, Apple will have to deal with this scenario.” Apple also needs to avoid other threats such as the acquisition of other HomeKit devices. It’s still unclear when the device will appear – but possibly not before 2026.
It’s more likely that the new AirPods Pro 3 will come out more quickly, as they will feature heart rate monitoring for the first time, according to Gurman, though it’s still “in early development.” There’s a model for that: the Powerbeats Pro 2 from Apple subsidiary Beats is scheduled to get the technology in early 2025. In the long term, Apple is also thinking about installing a camera in the AirPods Pro and adding AI functions.
(B.Sc.)
