Philips to Sell iOS-Controlled LED Light Bulbs Exclusively Through Apple Stores

[MacRumors]

Philips has announced a new iOS-controlled LED lighting system that can emulate nearly any color, as well as personalize the lighting experience with a wide array of dimmer and scheduling options. The company believes the new bulbs could reinvent "the way we think about and experience light in our homes."

Building on its innovation capabilities, today Philips unveils hue, the world's smartest web-enabled LED home lighting system. Philips hue signals a new era in home lighting both in the way we think about and experience light in our homes. It allows you to create and control the light using your smartphone or tablet.

[...]

Philips hue can be setup in minutes. The intuitive app allows you to remotely control your home lighting to help secure your home, personalize your home lighting experience with custom settings and program timers to help manage your daily schedules, all through the convenience of a smart device. An intuitive and seamless system, Philips hue is upgradeable and future-proof, with the potential for more features to be downloaded and enjoyed in the future.

Philips is also working on new features including geo-location to automatically turn lights on or off when users approach or leave heir homes, as well as integrating with other media including sound and video.

The bulbs will be sold exclusively via Apple Stores beginning tomorrow. Hue is $199 for three bulbs plus the wireless link that can support up to 50 bulbs. Additional bulbs are available for $59 each.

Apple has been pushing app-enabled accessories heavily in its online and retail stores, offering products as varied as thermostats, weight scales, blood pressure monitors, a meat thermometer and a pet-tracking GPS collar.

Update: The starter pack ($199.95) and individual bulbs ($59.95) are now available in Apple's online store.

Article Link: Philips to Sell iOS-Controlled LED Light Bulbs Exclusively Through Apple Stores

[Lesser Evets]

You can buy single bulbs like this with a remote for $11 online. Same basic thing with colors and different blinking modes, etc.

[Caliber26]

It actually sounds like a cool thing but I'm not sure I'm ready to fork out that kinda cash for novelty lighting.

[Macman45]

I priced up the non IOS variety recently in the UK they want a staggering £15 per bulb... I know they are supposed to last longer, and will certainly save money, but to replace all the halogen bulbs in my place would cost in excess of £300! I think I'll wait until the price comes down a little, and take care about overuse of the ceiling lighting!

[domesposito]

They're already available at the Apple Store Arrowhead in Arizona.

[turtlez]

shouldn't this be posted on April 1st?

[SmokyD]

I wonder if I could use this to turn a lightbulb on in my head...

[RobertD63]

You guys all can hate, and talk about how over priced they are, but I want it. I'll pay that for lighting that can be put on a sleep timer, adjusted to a color I select from a picture or color picker. I'll take 1 kit please.

[honjoe]

The pricing is what going to kill it.

[CausticPuppy]

Ah, it's about time. I can't count the number of times where I was wishing I had a way of changing the color of my lights using a phone.

[cclloyd]

I would buy it. Better than getting those smart home systems from xfinity, espeically when you don't need it in the entire room. Would be great for movies and gaming to use dim orange or blue lights.

[Avatarshark]

i think this is going to be novelty item than seeing actual usage.

[nagromme]

I as just about to buy some Philips regular LED bulbs: expensive at first, but low-waste and save money in the long run. I plan to replace my CFLs as they burn out.

Now I’ll have to look at the longevity on these iOS ones, and calculate how much more they’d cost vs. what I was going to buy anyway. If the difference is low enough, then I’ll get these instead, purely for fun

[iEnvy]

Talk about expensive..

[VulchR]

I wonder if the next big thing isn't going to be connected mobile devices but connected domestic devices. Thermostats would be another good place to start - provided they are affordable.

[SeniorGato1]

Get it down to $5/bulb and I'm in.

[Avatarshark]

i think this is going to be novelty item than seeing actual usage. unlike the meat thermometers

[mrsir2009]

Good to see philips is trying new things - Hopefully this will have a good effect on my stock

[applemotor]

We are hue.....

[somethingelsefl]

Welcome to the future: a modern version "The Clapper".

[WhoDaKat]

Thats $199 for 3 bulbs? Um, how long do these bulbs last? They'd better be forever at that cost.

[macchiato2009]

it's totally Hue-seless


huge lack of innovation from Philips

they've been trying to put lights everywhere, recently being LCD TVs to just to create fake ambiences, it was a huge failure

now pricey bulbs...

[rnizlek]

Keep in mind this is LED lighting. Standard bulbs run about $20 each, but they can last decades of use.

Please do not compare the price of this to the price of CFLs, incandescents, etc. It's apples to oranges.

I have a few Phillips LED L-Prize bulbs and I paid about $35 each, after a rebate from my power company, but you can get typical LED bulbs for around $20-$25.

Cool idea, but I think I can pass for now. I just don't have a need to turn lights on and off with my iPhone.

[KylePowers]

I'd totally buy this for like, 50 bucks.

Good luck to them though.

[irmongoose]

Originally Posted by VulchR

Thermostats would be another good place to start - provided they are affordable.

Way ahead of you there, buddy.



irmongoose