Taking place in Las Vegas between January 6 and 9, 2026, CES is the world’s biggest technology show. Apple does not officially attend Las Vegas. It does not unveil products on the show floor, and it does not chase headlines during the world’s largest consumer technology event. Yet despite Apple’s absence, CES remains a critical moment for Apple Home. Nearly every major smart home manufacturer building for Apple Home, Matter, and Thread will be present, using CES 2026 to showcase the devices and platforms that will shape the Apple Home experience throughout the year.
While Apple stays quiet, the ecosystem around Apple Home does not. CES has become one of the clearest indicators of where Apple Home is heading next, not through Apple announcements, but through the hardware choices manufacturers are making in response to Apple’s platform direction.
Matter at CES 2026
By CES 2026, Matter is no longer the headline feature. It is the baseline expectation.
The focus has shifted away from whether a device supports Matter and toward how well that support is implemented. Apple Home users care far less about logos on a box and far more about whether devices are reliable, responsive, and feel native once added to the Home app.
CES 2026 should mark a further shift toward manufacturers treating Matter as a long term platform rather than a marketing requirement. That means better onboarding, fewer edge cases, and devices that behave consistently across updates. For Apple Home, Matter only truly matters when it disappears into the background and simply works.
New Devices and the Connectivity Question
One of the most important stories to watch at CES 2026 is not just which new devices are announced, but how they connect.
Every year, CES gives us a snapshot of where the industry is placing its bets. For Apple Home users, that comes down to three technologies: Thread, Zigbee, and Wi Fi.
Thread is expected to continue gaining ground, particularly across sensors, locks, switches, and battery powered devices. Its low power usage, local control, and tight integration with Apple Home hubs make it the most natural fit for Apple’s vision of a private, resilient smart home. CES 2026 may be the year where Thread is no longer positioned as a premium option, but as the default for serious Apple Home devices.
Zigbee is likely to remain present, but increasingly behind bridges rather than exposed directly to users. While Zigbee remains popular with manufacturers, its future within Apple Home appears more transitional, acting as a legacy technology rather than a foundation for new ecosystems.
Wi Fi will continue to dominate high bandwidth devices such as cameras, displays, and appliances. However, CES 2026 may further highlight the limitations of Wi-Fi for everyday smart home accessories, particularly around reliability, power consumption, and cloud dependence. Apple Home users are becoming more selective, and CES often reveals which brands understand that shift.
Which connectivity approach dominates CES 2026 will say a great deal about where Apple Home is heading next.
Bookmark This Page for Apple Home News at CES 2026
CES moves fast. News breaks daily, sometimes hourly, and not all of it is relevant to Apple Home users.
This page will be updated throughout CES 2026 with clear context, verified information, and practical relevance for Apple Home, Matter, and Thread. The goal is not to cover everything, but to focus on what actually matters inside a real Apple Home.
If Apple Home is part of your setup, this is the page to bookmark and return to during CES 2026.
