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GE Announces Line of 'Link' Smart LED Light Bulbs, Starting at $15 [Updated]

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Apr 12, 2001
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General Electric has unveiled its new line "Link" smart LED light bulbs, which can be controlled by an iOS device and start at $15 for individual bulbs and $49 for a starter kit complete with two bulbs and a link hub. The product is being developed in collaboration with design company Quirky, which will make the smart LED bulb accessible in a future update to its Wink [Direct Link] app.

GE-Link2.jpg
The GE Link will be available in three variations:
- 60-watt replacement soft white (2700K) LED bulb, or A19 shape, commonly used for general lighting in table and floor lamps.
- Indoor soft white (2700K) floodlight LED, or BR30 shape, installed as downlighting found in dining room, living room or other entertainment spaces.
- Indoor/outdoor-rated bright white (3000K) spotlight LED, or PAR 38, used for outdoor security or spotlight.
Click to expand...
The Wink app will allow users to adjust brightness settings and create settings for specific environments and situations. Users will also be able to turn specific lights remotely at any given time, useful for vacations or extended periods away from home.

GE's Link enters a growing market of smart LED lightbulbs that is led by the Philips Hue, which was introduced two years ago and has expanded to a wide variety of products. The Philips Hue Starter Pack retails for $199 and comes with three bulbs in addition to a connection bridge, while the GE Link's starter kit is being sold for $49.

A number of companies are also creating home appliances that can be controlled by iOS devices under Apple's new HomeKit initiative, which allows products and their apps to work with iOS services using a unified protocol. Apple itself is also rumored to be developing smart home products for HomeKit.

Interested customers can pre-order the GE's line of Link smart LED lightbulbs from Home Depot's official website.

Update: As noted by some, GE's Link smart LED lightbulbs require a link hub. The link hub and two Link bulbs are being sold as a starter kit for $49.97.


Article Link: GE Announces Line of 'Link' Smart LED Light Bulbs, Starting at $15 [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/28/ge-link-smart-led-bulbs/
Chrjy

Chrjy

macrumors 65816
May 19, 2010
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Now that's a more sensible price, hopefully that will force Philips to start looking at their own pricing model.
 
markosb

markosb

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Mar 19, 2010
384
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Chrjy said:
Now that's a more sensible price, hopefully that will force Philips to start looking at their own pricing model.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I almost bought into Phillips, this is defiantly a better price.
 
jayducharme

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
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The thick of it
Chrjy said:
Now that's a more sensible price, hopefully that will force Philips to start looking at their own pricing model.
Click to expand...

I hope so, especially since Cree is selling 60 watt LED lights at Home Depot for just $5 each. I can understand "smart" lights carrying a $10 premium over that, but not a nearly $200 premium.
 
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err404

macrumors 68030
Mar 4, 2007
2,525
623
Hue are great as accent lights, but they cost far to much for general lighting. I was hoping Philips would sell the new Lux line in the 15-20 dollar range, but If homekit works well I should be able to mix Hue and GE bulbs into a single scene with the one UI.
 
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err404

macrumors 68030
Mar 4, 2007
2,525
623
goobot said:
Im assuming that these aren't colored LED light bulbs right?
Click to expand...

These look like regular white bulbs. That said I don't really get the comparison to Hue since these don't compete in the area Philips is targeting. Nobody buys Hue solely to replace white lights.
Frankly if you just want wifi lighting, get a wifi switch, instead of wifi bulbs. At 60watts most rooms need a lot of bulbs.
 
T

technopimp

macrumors 6502a
Aug 12, 2009
645
219
I don't like the fact that the controller is part of the bulb. So when the light dies, you can't just replace that, you have to replace the whole thing. I'd rather have it as separate thing, like a screw-in X10 module.

And yes, I know LEDs are supposed to last an extremely long time, but still.
 
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err404

macrumors 68030
Mar 4, 2007
2,525
623
technopimp said:
I know LEDs are supposed to last an extremely long time, but still.
Click to expand...

Frankly the bulb will probably outlast your wifi network. And good luck finding replacement part after even a few years, yet alone the life of the bulb.
Besides the wifi portion of the device probably doesn't add much "real cost" or complexity of the hardware. Making it modular would just increase the size, points of failure and probably increase the cost as well.
Due to the nature of the device they would be nearly all sold as bundles, there would just be no market to ever sell the replacement bulb without the controller.
If you want a modular solution, get a wifi wall switch instead and then use any bulb you want.
 
Z

Zxxv

macrumors 68040
Nov 13, 2011
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Assuming manufacturers are reading :)

I would like some that turn red or another present colour or are dimmed at night when I get up and go into the kitchen or bathroom. If this could be programmed to be automatic like iPhones "do not disturb" feature that would be great. It really hurts being blinded in early hours on that one day a week when I can't sleep and wake up at stupid o'clock

Thanks if you can do that :)
 
Chrjy

Chrjy

macrumors 65816
May 19, 2010
1,095
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err404 said:
These look like regular white bulbs. That said I don't really get the comparison to Hue since these don't compete in the area Philips is targeting. Nobody buys Hue solely to replace white lights.
Frankly if you just want wifi lighting, get a wifi switch, instead of wifi bulbs. At 60watts most rooms need a lot of bulbs.
Click to expand...

Although they don't offer the user the option to change the color they are still competing in the same space as Philips as they are LED and wifi bulbs. The option to choose a colour is nice but I still don't believe it warrants such a premium price. The only reason they charge that amount is there's been no competition.

My guess is these prices will start tumbling in the very near future....surely a good thing for consumers.
 
alohamade

alohamade

macrumors regular
Sep 13, 2012
143
13
Thanks for noticing the Starter Kit and Link Hub, everybody! The post has been updated to reflect these changes.
 
taptic

taptic

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2012
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California
Oh... $50 for a starterkit... Not bad, but people need to figure out a way to stop the word smart from meaning expensive.
 
D

DrScott

macrumors newbie
Oct 22, 2013
16
14
Lifx don't need a hub and change colour

The need for a wifi hub is, I think, a unnecessary complication. The Lifx bulbs do the job themselves, they change colour and they're much brighter than the Hue. There's still some features missing from their app but Lifx got a big capital injection last week so I think their future is pretty bright!
 
redscull

redscull

macrumors 6502a
Jul 1, 2010
849
832
Texas
err404 said:
Frankly the bulb will probably outlast your wifi network.
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I'm curious if you base this statement on the marketing text on bulb packaging or actual experience with light bulbs. I've been trying to make the change from old school light bulbs for years, but CFLs have continually proven to be garbage, costing significantly more money and consistently burning out just as fast as incandescents. It's left me with such a bad impression that I probably won't try LED bulbs until the price premium is negligible.

This product is 10x the cost of a normal light bulb (about 8.9x more than negligible). It might be a lot cheaper than Hue's products, but that's still way too much money for a light bulb.
 
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unplugme71

macrumors 68030
May 20, 2011
2,827
754
Earth
markosb said:
Agreed, I almost bought into Phillips, this is defiantly a better price.
Click to expand...

Not trying to purposely pick on you but what's with the sudden influx of people spelling definitely wrong? Doesn't anyone sound out words? Defiantly means boldly resistant or challenging.

And yes, these prices are more reasonable.
 
mw360

mw360

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,032
2,395
unplugme71 said:
Not trying to purposely pick on you but what's with the sudden influx of people spelling definitely wrong? Doesn't anyone sound out words? Defiantly means boldly resistant or challenging.

And yes, these prices are more reasonable.
Click to expand...

That's what autocorrect does when you accidentally put the a before the n. It deletes the e for you and removes the wavy red line that would have alerted you to the error.
 
S

SFO 1K

macrumors newbie
Nov 26, 2007
26
14
Zxxv said:
Assuming manufacturers are reading :)

I would like some that turn red or another present colour or are dimmed at night when I get up and go into the kitchen or bathroom. If this could be programmed to be automatic like iPhones "do not disturb" feature that would be great. It really hurts being blinded in early hours on that one day a week when I can't sleep and wake up at stupid o'clock

Thanks if you can do that :)
Click to expand...

Combine hue with IFTTT and you can accomplish this.
 
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