As incredible as Apple’s products almost always are, there’s always a sense of mystery around their catalog. Unless leaks confirm the launch of a product, there’s always a will-they-won’t-they discussion about things like a folding iPhone, an Apple Car, or up until recently, an Apple VR headset (which did eventually get launched at WWDC last year). This discussion is fueled by one undeniable fact – when Apple enters an industry, it makes a grand entrance. Everything Apple does, it does with great intent and decades of hidden innovation. So it only makes sense to want Apple to enter more industries and disrupt them. Here’s a look at a few product categories that fit well within Apple’s catalog, and even though it makes absolute sense for Apple to design these products (and I’m sure they’d do a stellar job), Apple is probably never going to consider making them. From drones to e-bikes to even printers, here are 10 products everyone wishes Apple made… but Apple probably won’t.
01. Apple Drone
The first-ever drone we saw from Apple actually made its appearance in the company’s iPhone 14 Pro keynote. The video showed a rather crude-looking drone engineered to fly with the iPhone 14 Pro Max mounted on it, relying on the iPhone’s camera system to capture footage. We later learned that the drone was entirely made in-house by Apple’s engineers… so why not make one for us regular consumers too? Imagine a drone rivaling the ones from DJI and Parrot, using a state-of-the-art camera system taken from Apple’s latest iPhones. An object-avoidance LiDAR system taken from the iPhones and iPads, and a 3-axis gimbal so advanced, it helps Apple make better motorized stabilizers for their phone cameras. It’s no secret that DJI’s three product lines – their Osmo cameras, gimbals, and their drones – all benefit from advancements in each other’s domains. A truly symbiotic system that helps create great products. I don’t see why Apple couldn’t do the same.
02. Apple Arcade Gaming Controller
Apple has a gaming service, a game-ready tablet that has better rendering capabilities than some laptops, and Apple also has a spatial reality headset that’s perfect for games, but lacks a controller input. It just makes absolute sense for Apple to launch a gaming controller that works in tandem with all their devices, helping you play/test all sorts of games, whether it’s on Unity or on Apple Arcade. Here’s yet another thought. What if you could remove the control part of the controller from its ergonomic case and use it like an Apple TV or Nintendo Wii-style remote? All speculative of course, but not without reason. Apple’s tech offering severely lacks a gaming controller, and if Apple is serious about gaming, it just makes sense.
03. Apple MovePod Wireless Speaker
You know what else also makes sense? Being able to take your music on the go. Both of Apple’s speakers – the HomePod and the HomePod Mini are wired, tethered devices that don’t have batteries of their own, and can’t be carried around with you. Ironically enough, Apple’s released quite a few wireless portable speakers under its Beats by Dre sub-brand… so why not just launch an unchained HomePod that you can travel with? An orb-shaped device with a handle (sort of like the Devialet Mania) occurs to me as the most obvious bet. Instead of relying on AirPods to listen to music on the go, this wireless speaker gives you the thump of a HomePod, but on the beach, at parties, on a terrace, in a backyard, or even a campsite. Obviously you couldn’t call it HomePod anymore, so something like the MovePod made sense as just a naming ritual.
04. Ergonomic Magic Mouse
The Magic Mouse sucks. It charges horribly, hasn’t been redesigned in years, and it’s an ergonomic nightmare. In fact, it’s so bad to hold that people have even designed grips for the Magic Mouse that make it more comfortable to grasp. Needless to say, an ergonomic Magic Mouse doesn’t exist, but it desperately needs to. The current slim mouse is perfect for travel, but let’s be honest, nobody chooses mice based on their travel-ability. So here’s an appeal to Apple to just make a slightly chunkier Magic Mouse that’s better to hold while working, because that’s really what a mouse is for… working.
05. Apple Printer
MKBHD once said that if there was one gadget he wished Apple designed, it would be the printer. Current printers are the absolute worst. They’re complicated, they jam, they’re a nuisance to configure, and their software are more complex than they need to be. Printers and their user experiences definitely need a major rehaul, and if there’s one company anyone trusts to do a better job, it’s Apple. That being said, Apple probably doesn’t see much sense in a printer. It makes world-class computers for professionals, it dominates the pro-res display market, and printers are an incredibly niche item. Sure, Steve Jobs could have probably launched one in the iMac G3 days when printing was absolutely essential – but printers aren’t a household essential anymore. Want to read documents or preview artwork, use an iPad. That being said, the world definitely deserves a GOOD printer that shows all companies how it’s supposed to be done.
06. Apple e-Bike
Everyone was expecting an Apple Car, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The Apple Car was supposed to be Tim Cook’s effort at building an all-encompassing self-driving vehicle (he didn’t even want a steering wheel in it) with nothing but comfortable seating and infotainment. The car would boost Apple’s self-driving algorithms, but ultimately it was a way of pushing Apple’s services like Apple TV, CarPlay, Apple Music, etc. The Apple Car would ultimately lock horns with multiple giants in the field, Tesla, GM, Ford, the works… so why not enter a field that hasn’t seen much (or any) competition from the big automotive giants? An Apple e-bike would be a great transition into automobiles, it would help Apple understand riders, refine its maps service, and even boost their battery technology. All that could LATER be carried into EVs. Not to mention, the absolute lack of competition… but that’s something Apple has always avoided because it views its competition as a proof of a healthy market. That’s why it waited for Samsung to launch a Watch first, and for Meta, Microsoft, and dozens of other companies cut their teeth on AR/VR before launching the Vision Pro.
07. Apple HomeCam Security Camera
Apple prides itself on privacy and security on a software level – so why not on a hardware one too? The Apple HomeCam would be a perfect smart camera to keep in your house for an added layer of security. It would tie in perfectly with Apple HomeKit’s smart home dashboard, plus, imagine being able to have instant FaceTime calls with your house to check if everything is okay. A smart speaker was Apple’s first step in entering the home, a smart camera would be the logical next step. Yes, I was tempted to call this the Vision Cam but decided HomeCam was a better bet!
08. Apple Ring
Of all the products in this list, the most likely seems to be the Apple Ring, and for two reasons – the first, the Apple Watch is a great health wearable but it doesn’t have a battery that lasts weeks, and the second, Samsung is gearing up to launch their Galaxy Ring too, validating the market space. Ring wearables are great for a bunch of reasons – they don’t have screens so there’s really no distraction with notifications and whatnot, but more importantly, the lack of a screen means a MUCH better battery life. People can wear rings everywhere, and unlike a watch where you can only wear one on your wrist (you’d look stupid if you wore two watches), you can actually pair a health-tracking ring with other jewelry for something that’s sleek yet functional. Rumor has it that Apple’s been considering adding a ring to their portfolio, but then again, a lot of it hinges on how successful Samsung’s own efforts are. Besides, would you really want to wear an Apple Watch and an Apple Ring together? Seems like overkill, no?
09. Apple TV Projector
Probably more of a wishlist item than anything, the Apple TV Projector would be Apple’s first foray into projectors. The company already makes the Apple TV box that brings the company’s TV service to televisions. Wouldn’t it be great if they made a projector that could turn your wall into a theater, and fill your room with loud, balanced audio coming directly from the projector itself? Obviously, the projector would have to be an ultra-short throw (UST) one, because who really places projectors 10 feet away from walls anymore? I’d pay good money for a 4K UST Apple TV projector with the service built-in, along with a year of Apple TV+. Pair it with Apple Arcade’s gaming controller from earlier on in this article and you’ve got yourself a stellar immersive gaming rig.
10. Apple WiFi Router
Another area that Apple should enter is the wireless and cellular service business. Just like Apple entered the payments business to fix something that was broken, the company can enter the carrier business to provide high-speed internet to your homes at a fraction of the cost, and with all of Apple services baked in. Imagine paying a single fee for your internet and iCloud storage, and even getting your cellular plan as a bonus. Here, we’ve imagined an Apple WiFi router that broadcasts high-speed internet to every corner of your home, with a built-in VPN that protects user data because Apple cares for privacy. We threw in an Apple NAS (Network Attached Storage) too, so that your iCloud can live in your home instead of on a server in a different state or country.
Did I miss anything? What else do you think Apple should release? Or rather, which product category desperately requires Apple’s magic touch?
