Apple 'Excited' About HomeKit Partners Despite Slow Rollout

[TonyC28]

Clearly you haven't used the tech you're criticizing. Hint -- connected lighting doesn't replace using the switch to flick on or off. You can still use the switch (duh), but now you can set programs for the room, multiple rooms, and schedules. This is way more useful than walking around the house and turning things on or off. And the color values are impossible in traditional bulbs anyhow.

As for the therm -- if you aren't using a program (manually set or learned) then you're burning money needlessly. It's that simple.

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I do agree that over time a smart thermostat will save you some money. Or even a basic programmable one. What I'm not quite sold on is the light switch stuff. I just bought a couple WeMo switches and really liked them at first. I bought them as a means of having my outside lights on a timer. I ended up removing them because they interfered with my garage door openers to the point they didn't work from more than five feet away. But anyway, I replaced them with a Honeywell timer switch that offers the same timing capabilities, was cheaper, no signal interference, and won't stop working if my wifi signal drops.

I think the home automation stuff is cool, but right now it's just too expensive to be anything more than a cool, non-necessary thing for people to buy.

 

[Les Kern]

Looking forward to controlling my smoke detector from my iPhone. (ppbbbt)
Why does a dog lick itself? Because it can, not because it should.

 

[Aluminum213]

And why isn't Apple making their own HomeKit stuff?

They messed up bad not acquiring Nest, which is by far the best home product out there


How in the world did apple not lock it up? Smart and beautiful product invented by the guy who designed the damn iPod lol, saved Apple

 

[arkmannj]

Never gonna happen. Everybody is following the Apple model of complete control over everything, "the user experience" as it were, so we're starting to enter a wonderful new world where everybody has their own competing standards. There's an XKCD comic out there that sums it up perfectly...

You're probably right, I'm just saying what I want, and as a consumer what I would like to expect. but glad to know I have a fellow XKCD fan

 

[SeattleMoose]

More "tech overshoot"? I guess only time will tell.

 

[satcomer]

I love my nest, but since their nest product came out, their other partnerships are just OK. Nothing to save the kind of money or added function that Nest gave me. I am in the middle of a remodel, I may lay some extra wire for connectivity, but not planning on jumping on anything too soon.

You should get the Zap Wireless Remote Contolled Outlets a try, they are only US $32 for a five pack. Plus you could get a Lowes Iris Z-Wave.

 

[macosxuser01]

Awesome! I didn't know about that company. Doesn't seem like they do music though.

Are all of the devices from Alarm.com or does their app control all different brands of devices

Alarm.com provides the interactive service but 2gig (Linear) is the equipment most systems use. So the panel I use is the 2gig go control panel. I'm able to program anything that's Z-Wave compatible. So there's a lot of different manufactures that make Z-Wave devices for Locks (Kwikset), garage door (Liftmaster), lights (GE, Linear, etc.)

 

[Windlasher]

And What's Your Point.

A lot of companies rush crap out the door and we end up with crap.

 

[Piggie]

A lot of companies rush crap out the door and we end up with crap.

It's hard to define crap.

One could call almost anything crap.

Quite a while ago I was headed to the vet with my cat, and took a quick video on my compact camera thinking I could then show the vet an issue with the cat on my iPad (I was thinking in modern terms)

Of course, this was in a rush.

I then realised I had to fire up iTunes to get the bloody video transferred across, which I did (in a rush) then of course it was in the wrong format for the iPad to play back due to Apple's restrictions.

At THE VERY MOMENT I NEEDED IT.

The iPad was the biggest pile of crap I owned.

An Android Tablet, with a SD card slot at that very moment would of been exactly what I wanted and would of done the task I wanted.

As a side line, that has happened a few times with my iPad.
It's great when I'm just using it do look at stuff, but whenever I've actually wanted to REALLY do something it's often let me down due to a physical of deliberate software restriction.

Shame

 

[Miabifilms]

No compelling use cases. Every time this connected home/Internet of Things stuff is explained it's my home knowing I'm coming from work and starting the kettle or putting my tv on. These aren't problems that need solving. Steve Jobs once said that when you're introducing a new thing it can't just be better; it has to be 10x better. Flicking a light switch or unlocking the door are so low friction that it makes it impossible for something to be 10x better. I don't need a thermostat to learn. I'll turn it up when I feel cold and down when I'm warm.

You had me until you got to the thermostat. It's true that some things don't need fixing. The IoT should be more about convenience than "smarts". Not everything needs to be connected. I don't need a connected egg tray and the light switches work great in my house.

And some things do need fixing... A smart thermostat is going to save you money, be more efficient, and hopefully make it so you don't have to think about walking over to it.

How in the world did apple not lock it up? Smart and beautiful product invented by the guy who designed the damn iPod lol, saved Apple

I don't know.. the Ecobee3 is pretty sexy too.

 

[Glassed Silver]

And why isn't Apple making their own HomeKit stuff?

Probably because they hardly seem able to keep up with producing and updating their basic product lines.

That and too low margins I guess...

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[Digital Dude]

Wonder if Alarm.com will integrate with HomeKit. Would love to use the Siri command for example "Siri, open the garage"

That may become an option although I suspect the garage door will open as you approach it. It will be integrated into your iwhatever' so that it knows that is what you want it to do.

 

[thekeyring]

It's hard to define crap.

One could call almost anything crap.

Quite a while ago I was headed to the vet with my cat, and took a quick video on my compact camera thinking I could then show the vet an issue with the cat on my iPad (I was thinking in modern terms)

Of course, this was in a rush.

I then realised I had to fire up iTunes to get the bloody video transferred across, which I did (in a rush) then of course it was in the wrong format for the iPad to play back due to Apple's restrictions.

At THE VERY MOMENT I NEEDED IT.

The iPad was the biggest pile of crap I owned.

An Android Tablet, with a SD card slot at that very moment would of been exactly what I wanted and would of done the task I wanted.

As a side line, that has happened a few times with my iPad.
It's great when I'm just using it do look at stuff, but whenever I've actually wanted to REALLY do something it's often let me down due to a physical of deliberate software restriction.

Shame

Can't you buy the SD card reader? Or would the file-format issue still arise?

 

[Piggie]

Can't you buy the SD card reader? Or would the file-format issue still arise?

Well, If it was something I had planned in advance to have needed to do then yes, I could of bought accessories for a 'may need it one day' emergency.

This was just a spur of the moment, pet injury, hence I wanted to use what I had to hand that very moment.

And yes, as the time, I would of had to spent time with a conversion program changing to format to one the iPad would of been able to read, as by default Apple did/does not play many formats.

It's this type of thing which makes me find the iPad frustrating.
It's great at what it does, but it can be an utter pain also when you really need it.

 

[macosxuser01]

That may become an option although I suspect the garage door will open as you approach it. It will be integrated into your iwhatever' so that it knows that is what you want it to do.

I have the option right now to use geo-fencing with my garage door however, if for example I was already home and went outside through the front door but realized I need to get something out of the garage I would love to just use the Siri command then instead of having to unlock my phone and go to the app then send the command

 

[kbfr08]

i just want 1 company to have great products that control everything.

What about Crestron, or Control4? These guys have been in the industry for years and make some very good products for AV, lighting, climate control and other stuff.

 

[topmounter]

Homekit and iCloud's parents must be brother and sister.

 

[Windlasher]

Well, If it was something I had planned in advance to have needed to do then yes, I could of bought accessories for a 'may need it one day' emergency.

This was just a spur of the moment, pet injury, hence I wanted to use what I had to hand that very moment.

And yes, as the time, I would of had to spent time with a conversion program changing to format to one the iPad would of been able to read, as by default Apple did/does not play many formats.

It's this type of thing which makes me find the iPad frustrating.
It's great at what it does, but it can be an utter pain also when you really need it.

I think you are overthinking my original statement but none the less. As for your story, maybe I am missing something. YoU wanted the iPad to do something it wasn't capable of doing, which you knew beforehand, and you were frustrated because YOU were in a rush.

Why didn't you use the iPad to make the recording in the first place, or take the time to convert the recording to a format that it understood before you had 10 mins to rush out the door.

Or, why didn't you just use your phone to make the recording in the first place.

Doesn't sound to me like the iPad was crap but that you used the wrong tool for the job and are blaming the tool. Will you also be upset the next time you get a hankering to play angry birds and your Amiga 500 just isn't up to the task? Are you also upset when you use a wrench to pound in a nail and the nail doesn't go in straight? Right tool, right job.

To my original point, a million companies are going to rush homekit stuff out the door just to be first on line. Some of it will work and most of it won't. I would rather they take their time and release a better product.

And I won't be upset that my homekit smoke detector didn't let me know when someone kicked in the back door.

 

[tigres]

Apple should consider their own internal stringent requirements on the existing wifi and Bluetooth stacks on iOS and OS X.

 

[sinfonye]

Slow rollout because it's not "wearable."
"Wearable" was the new 3D TV at CES this year, or so I hear.

Wearable was a hot topic 4-5 years ago. Now we have it at CES (and the Apple watch is about to be released). Home automation/internet of things is a current hot topic (we're
about 2-3 years in). I expect this will be much more interesting than wearable
in the long term: wearable is basically about miniaturisation; IoT is about connectedness. But there's a long way to go before things are properly connected.

 

[Piggie]

I think you are overthinking my original statement but none the less. As for your story, maybe I am missing something. YoU wanted the iPad to do something it wasn't capable of doing, which you knew beforehand, and you were frustrated because YOU were in a rush.

Why didn't you use the iPad to make the recording in the first place, or take the time to convert the recording to a format that it understood before you had 10 mins to rush out the door.

Or, why didn't you just use your phone to make the recording in the first place.

Doesn't sound to me like the iPad was crap but that you used the wrong tool for the job and are blaming the tool. Will you also be upset the next time you get a hankering to play angry birds and your Amiga 500 just isn't up to the task? Are you also upset when you use a wrench to pound in a nail and the nail doesn't go in straight? Right tool, right job.

To my original point, a million companies are going to rush homekit stuff out the door just to be first on line. Some of it will work and most of it won't. I would rather they take their time and release a better product.

And I won't be upset that my homekit smoke detector didn't let me know when someone kicked in the back door.

Neither my iPad or Mobile phone have camera's, otherwise I would of used them.
I used a camera instead

Unfortunately I found out the iPad would not play back the industry standard format my camera records in.
And even if it did, I'd still have to fire up a computer to use iTunes to have to transfer it across.

Note: This, like many things was not a pre-planned task.
It was an injured family pet, so I used what I had to hand, and if I had, say an android Tablet at the time, I would of been able to do as I wanted as it would not of had the limitations Apple had deliberately placed, both hardware and software wise on the iPad at the time.

 

[carlgo]

The water meter thing has potential. It could alert you to unexpected water usage when you are away, like if a pipe or line burst. But it should also have an electric valve so you could shut it off remotely.

 

[Aluminum213]

Home kit is a flop, let's just call it what it is

 

[Windlasher]

Neither my iPad or Mobile phone have camera's, otherwise I would of used them.
I used a camera instead

Unfortunately I found out the iPad would not play back the industry standard format my camera records in.
And even if it did, I'd still have to fire up a computer to use iTunes to have to transfer it across.

Note: This, like many things was not a pre-planned task.
It was an injured family pet, so I used what I had to hand, and if I had, say an android Tablet at the time, I would of been able to do as I wanted as it would not of had the limitations Apple had deliberately placed, both hardware and software wise on the iPad at the time.

I do get it. My security system exports these weird little video files that I have to convert if I want to play them on anything else and the program provided to convert those only converts them to avi which means if I want to use iMovie I have to convert them again.

It would also be nice to have the mac play avi, or mkv files right off the bat without perian or some other plugin, but it is not to be.

I think what apple is doing with home kit is a great idea. As I read it, they are saying here is a standard that anyone can use like wireless, usb, or bluetooth.

Previously all the remote home control products used their own protocols and formats to try and monopolize the market but it didn't work. all that happened was that we got ten different products that sort of worked.

HomeKit will be great. I can buy this and that from one company and a few other things from another and a security system from yet another and have them all work from my phone. I'm going to dig that very much.

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Home kit is a flop, let's just call it what it is

YES: Its been out for twenty minutes and you have laid down the law.

Then again RIM and Samsung laughed at the iPhone. You should hang out with them.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I'm just wondering what is taking Phillips so long to get Hue in here. They are already sold in Apple stores, all they need is a hub firmware update...

For HomeKit certification, Apple is making hardware manufacturers install a custom wifi/bluetooth chip to use their proprietary protocol

Anything that's been on the market doesn't have it. The Hue bridge uses a Zigbee protocol/antenna so a firmware upgrade is not gonna magically give it BT capabilities

Apple's strategy is to fragment the market even more, hoping that their own protocol will become standard and kill all the other protocols. Personally I like the opposite approach that Revolv, Wink, and Smartthings did, which is support as many protocols as possible so people can install automation devices without worrying about compatibility. But who knows what'll happen.