Apple's Aggressive Hiring Preludes Closing Out Competitive Deficit With Amazon & Google's SmartHome Devices

The Cupertino-based tech giant is boosting up hiring for a team to work on new Apple Homekit-based software and devices. Apple has recently posted at least 15 job openings for engineering positions on the team in Sept, according to Bloomberg. The aggressive hiring is reportedly aiming to erase the competitive margin with Amazon and Google.

The recent hiring efforts are spearheaded by Andreas Gal, Mozilla’s former CTO, who moved to Apple in 2018 after the company acquired Silk Labs. It is an AI startup that developed a privacy-centered security camera and smart home hub system. At this point, details about what the hiring is all about are vague, but one possibility could be about a set of new smart home devices after the HomePod speaker.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is believed to have already explored the possibility of developing a wide range of smart home products and accessories like modules for opening and closing windows, doors, and cabinets. However, according to some reports, these are currently put on hold.

The recent Bloomberg report states that the objective of aggressive hiring is to eliminate the deficit of Apple with Google and Amazon in the smart home segment. Several sources also report that engineers are wanted to work for the San Diego office of Apple and also in its Cupertino corporate headquarters, where they would concentrate on developing Apple’s HomeKit platform. The company is hopeful that its upcoming Homekit would encourage more third-party devices and accessories makers to link their products to Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem.

Apple might create its own lineup of smart home products beyond the HomePod, which was never really received well in the smart home industry when it was released a year ago. We have heard that Apple might release a more creative and less expensive version of the HomePod next year. Bloomberg also notes that Apple should make its own products like door lights, locks, as well as home security cameras.

The Cupertino-based tech giant has long been eyeing the smart home segment, but so far, it has never really gone forward. A home security camera is really interesting, considering that such a device would work well with one of the upcoming features of Apple iOS 13.