Apple's AI security camera features cost up to $60/month
What's the story
Apple has introduced a new set of features for its HomeKit cameras, but they come with an extra cost. The update, which comes with the public release of iOS 27 and tvOS 27, is called Apple Intelligence for Home. It brings AI-powered video summaries to HomeKit Secure Video, giving users short text descriptions of what their compatible security cameras captured.
Feature details
New features include video search and camera stitching
Along with AI-generated video summaries, the update also brings a video search feature and lets you stitch footage from multiple cameras into one clip.
However, these advanced features come at a price. To access them, users will have to subscribe to the 2TB iCloud Plus plan for $9.99/month or an Apple One Premier subscription for $39.95/month.
Pricing structure
Pricing can get steep for multiple cameras
The pricing structure for Apple Intelligence can get pretty steep if you have more than one camera.
For a second camera, you'd need to pay $29.99/month for the 6TB plan.
If you have up to five cameras, it would cost a whopping $59.99/month for the 12TB plan.
However, there's no information yet on whether users can add more than five cameras or not.
Cost analysis
Apple intelligence pricier than competitors' offerings
While the new video features are impressive, many users might find them too expensive for what they offer.
For instance, if you're already paying $40/month for Apple One Premier with 2TB of iCloud storage and support for five cameras, adding Apple Intelligence to all five would cost an extra $60/month. This translates to a whopping $1,200 annually.
In comparison, Amazon's Ring and Google Nest charge around $20/month for similar AI-powered features on their cameras.