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Apple Hires Ex-Microsoft Exec to Revamp Smart Home Business
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So what do you need? 30 buck retarded echo for issuing commands and 200 buck speaker for music? HomePod is awesome, I have two and SIRI when it comes down to controlling devices and playing music is stellar, plus I don't have to scream it hears me just fine.
Before Cook the Mac was very popular in schools, creative industry and attracted lots of newcomers to the platform. All they had to do is upgrade their gear on a yearly basis with the latest chips and technology. It would have cost them minimal effort and resources. But Cook chose to neglect the platform to a point I don’t even recommend it anymore to friends or family.
In the meantime the area where the Mac used to be king, there are hardly any Macs left. The new targeting group are the people who don’t know or care much about technology and are less demanding on tech.
Imho very few companies will buy the new MacPro when it ever sees the light of day, no matter how great it could be because Apple has proven to neglect those groups and not being a thrust worthy partner to invest in.
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Apple doesn’t have to be a public company to attract more money for future investments as it has enough money of its own to do so. All what investors care of is getting the maximum profits in return. They don’t care about the products as long as there is money to be get. Not the best interest for you as a customer and since 2012 it shows.
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iPads are great for surfing the Internet, email and light stuff. Although the hardware is great, iOS is holding it back. For the price of an iPad Pro you could buy so much better capable of doing real work.
The development on iOS to make use of the better hardware has been stagnant for years. That’s why chromebooks are taking over in education and very few use it for real work because it’s missing the OS to do so.
You guys are missing the forrest for the trees. Just because he had a lock company before, that doesn’t mean he’s going to just focus on locks at Apple. I see this as a move by Apple to solidify their entire smart home strategy.
And then everyone will accuse them of ripping off Nest.
Not to mention you have to manually trigger shortcuts, either through Siri or the app. The main strategy in the smart home needs to be automation, where things happen on their own based on what you do, not what you say. This is where HomeKit is lacking the most.
I think HomeKit has suffered from how they treated the AppleTV. AppleTV was a hobby device, and HomeKit was heavily associated with it, so HomeKit was considered a hobby too. I’m encouraged by this hire because it could be a sign that Apple is starting to treat HomeKit seriously now.
I would disagree that HomeKit is the best. It’s automations are too limited. For example, you can’t create a simple automation which turns lights on based on motion, but only between sunset and midnight. You also can’t do automation based on multiple inputs. For example, you can’t turn on the lights when ANY one of a list of motion sensors detects motion. I don’t know if it’s a UI limitation in the Home app, or if it’s an underlying limitation of HomeKit, but this is stuff that other platforms, such as SmartThings, can handle easily.
Edit to add: Several of the limitations I just mentioned are simply UI limitations in the Home app. When I use a third-party app, like Home 3, I am able to create some of the automations I described. That makes all of this just that much more frustrating.
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I hate using the word pick proof, but I feel much safer with my Medeco cylinders than most of the junk sold in HD or Lowes.
You are right that iOS holds the iPad back. the iPad hardware is extremely capable and right now the only thing keeping it from blossoming is Software.
Well sure, but obviously that wasn’t the case when they decided to become a publicly traded company. Of course investors care about getting maximum profits, but you’re not going to make any profits putting out bad products. You may not like Apple products, which is totally fine, but millions of people do. Their sales and customer satisfaction levels prove that.
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I believe the comment was refering to their market penetration and options available. Not directly Siri comparison wise.
Apple's largest problem is the HomePod elephant in the room for home automation and integration. Users want voice control. Apple's only offering in this regard (other than leaving your iPad laying around) is the HomePod. a $350+, locked down device that only works exclusively with Apple services.
by only working directly with Apple's services, not only is it expensive if you're looking mroe for a input device for automation, but it limits you in what automation tools you can use. Apple's HomeKit, while works very VERY well, is limited in product's available by the hundreds. Where currently Alexa and Google have compatibility with 5000+ home automation products.
Getting some external blood in to help fix the HomeKit limitation issues and possibly steer Apple to getting a low cost home automation speaker out (doesn't have to be Alexa dot cheap, but something under $300 and NOT exclusive to APple only) is a move in the right direction for homekit. Plus working diligently to expand the scope of how much 3rd party HomeKit stuff there is.
If Cook really cared about the home he shouldn’t have discontinued their WiFi line like an idiot.
DNichter, love your posts, very clear and informative. I think you are a professor at Warton school?
If Steve Jobs really cared about computers, he shouldn't have discontinued floppy drives like an idiot. /s
5G is going to overtake WiFi as the connectivity standard as anything with a CPU, big and small, will have 5G chips built in and can connect directly to the internet without requiring a local network.
For me all smart locks have the same failing, they can all be opened from inside without using a key. If someone breaks in via a window, they can easily leave by the front door. People leaving via the front door doesn’t arouse suspicion. Carrying a TV etc out of the window does. I would like a smart lock that was like a deadbolt ( not latch ) that needs a key both sides to lock and unlock manually, yet can be operated like a smart lock. It would also need to be made out of quality metal not like some of these plastic toys. You would then have a simple smart latch for normal opening and closing.
That is a nightmare situation. I, like most people, prefer their home networks to be fire-walled via router - the most logical & secure arrangement. I do not want all devices connecting to the internet independently, ever. That’s a really bad idea.
Interesting and I enjoyed your TED talk. But I stand by my point. If they want to be competitive with the market leaders that are rapidly taking market share in a new sector, they need to change their approach.
Lol, 88% correct for navigation? You seem the guy who drives around in his car with an HomePod
It shows it’s still the worst on information.
It was his startup. He had investors but he founded the company. He poached Apple employees to work on it but like any other company, anything employees invented while working there, belong to the company.
Wouldn’t any lock that required a key to exit be a safety issue in case of an emergency?
I think so too but in order to have some of the best smart devices supporting Apple's platform, they need to insure that they're not poached by Google of Amazon. Nest was the earliest and biggest Apple champion in the smart home. When Google acquired them, there was understandably a big shift away from Apple. Nest still doesn't support HomeKit and probably never will. Amazon acquired Ring and HomeKit support appears to be cancelled.
If this keeps happening, HomeKit will never get the best devices on their smart home ecosystem. Apple could acquire a smart home company, keep it semi-independent like Beats and have it build reference devices to push third parties to compete, while maintaining support for HomeKit.
Would each device require it’s own cellular plan then or will they be able to share one?
There are usually two locks on the house entry/exit door. One lock that doesn't require key to exit when home and a second lock that requires key to exit when not home which can share the same key.
