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Apple Smart Home Hub Launch Possibly Delayed Until Later in Year

Big_D said:
The biggest one for me is that it has to work without any additional electronics in the house!

My wife already threatened to throw the HomePod mini out the window, because Siri started talking to her! She won't use the Home app on her iPhone and iPad to switch the lights on and off - that is what the light switch is for - I even bought an extra Philips Hue light switch for the bedroom, that is directly in front of her, when she walks in, but she still reaches along the wall to the "real" light switch every time (rented apartment, so I can't swap out the switches).

I can't use the remote app on my iPhone or iPad, because that is too confusing (the same was true when the TV came with 2 remotes, one had to be packed away in a drawer as a backup).

The only one that hasn't caused a problem was me using a programmable power socket to control the Christmas tree lights - this has now been transferred to a lamp in the hall that turns on in the evenings and early morning.
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Same here.

I'm the only one controlling all the smart lights. I bought only homekit compatible appliances so at least they show up in Home.

Most of the time the sync between apps (e.g the Hue app) is bad: you have duplication, resets, anything more complex than on/off like a scene is doomed to fail, it doesn't work if your wifi is flaky in a room and the phone decides to switch to cellular, ...

Throw in the mix a few light sensors and switches, an Alexa, a smart plug from another brand, and a few thermostat valves, each with their own app and view on how to manage these devices. They are all homekit compatible. Yet... it's just a mess.

The basic light switches are still the only ones used by anyone else in the familiy. My philips switches are either unresponsive because no one used them (they recharge by pressure) or collecting dust since they forgot their settings and I'm tired of resetting them.

The thermostat valves seem to work, but since I can't manage my heater the same way (whic has an external sensor the changes the heating curve I learned), they are just making fun noises in the middle of the night.

The light sensors have apparently evolved a mind of their own, switching lights on and off whenever they decide it's night even if the sun still shines bright. The motion sensors are on strike, or conspiring to make me hit my toe in the dark during a quick trip to the bathroom at night.

The smart plug has been disconnected, since I rewired everything. I don't care baout the electricity consumption anymore, the prices went so wild up and down that trying to rationalize my usage wasn't worth the headache.

If I forget to switch off the ambient TV lights when I go to bed or leave for work, they stay on all day since no one knows how to switch them off besides pulling the plug.

It's a sad situation. I'm thinking of throwing everything away.
 
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Dredd67 said:
The thermostat valves seem to work, but since I can't manage my heater the same way (whic has an external sensor the changes the heating curve I learned), they are just making fun noises in the middle of the night.
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Yes, German heating doesn't used central thermostats. We have a sensor outside and if the temperature drops below 17°C, the heating fires up automatically, likewise, if it gets warm again outside, it automatically shuts down. It is programmed to be 23°C during the day and 17°C at night. The radiators in each room are then adjusted to heat that room, which usually means you need a thermostat for each radiator (it screws into the top of the radiator connector and turns the valve automatically).
 
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Big_D said:
The biggest one for me is that it has to work without any additional electronics in the house!

My wife already threatened to throw the HomePod mini out the window, because Siri started talking to her! She won't use the Home app on her iPhone and iPad to switch the lights on and off - that is what the light switch is for - I even bought an extra Philips Hue light switch for the bedroom, that is directly in front of her, when she walks in, but she still reaches along the wall to the "real" light switch every time (rented apartment, so I can't swap out the switches).

I can't use the remote app on my iPhone or iPad, because that is too confusing (the same was true when the TV came with 2 remotes, one had to be packed away in a drawer as a backup).

The only one that hasn't caused a problem was me using a programmable power socket to control the Christmas tree lights - this has now been transferred to a lamp in the hall that turns on in the evenings and early morning.
Click to expand...
I feel for you. My wife is not a huge fan of any type of automation either. I fiddle with it using HomeAssistant once in a while, kind of as a hobby item.

I’ve thrown in a few cheap battery operated button switches in certain rooms for lighting, and luckily, my wife will at least use those. She does not use HomeAssistant screens I have created via her iPhone or iPad at all, but she’s mostly ok with the buttons. As for Siri, she won’t use that at all for home automation, but then again, neither do I.
 
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Big_D said:
The biggest one for me is that it has to work without any additional electronics in the house!

My wife already threatened to throw the HomePod mini out the window, because Siri started talking to her! She won't use the Home app on her iPhone and iPad to switch the lights on and off - that is what the light switch is for - I even bought an extra Philips Hue light switch for the bedroom, that is directly in front of her, when she walks in, but she still reaches along the wall to the "real" light switch every time (rented apartment, so I can't swap out the switches).

I can't use the remote app on my iPhone or iPad, because that is too confusing (the same was true when the TV came with 2 remotes, one had to be packed away in a drawer as a backup).

The only one that hasn't caused a problem was me using a programmable power socket to control the Christmas tree lights - this has now been transferred to a lamp in the hall that turns on in the evenings and early morning.
Click to expand...

I have pretty much the same issue, in that any automation I set up in the house is met with either indifference or disdain by my family. Now, to be fair to me, they all benefit from it whether they realize it or not. The lights in various places in the house turn on/off on schedules, The garage sensors tell me that the doors are properly shut (or are opening, signifying someone has arrived home). But I continue to be the only one with an understanding of "what to do if". It took me a solid year before I could get my wife to pay attention to the app I installed on her phone allowing her to adjust the lights to her enjoyment level.

And then there's Siri. And Alexa. Neither of them do what I tell them to do at least 50% of the time. And settings seem to magically change on their own.

All that said I am interested in seeing where this hub concept goes. But the most important piece, IMHO, is for the "intelligence" aspect of it to be smart AND simple. the Apple Home interface feels like a mess, and any time anything changes (homepod software update, for example) things stop working or get flaky. I can't tell you how many times I've said something like, "oh, check this song out," tried to airplay it to the homepods and...nothing. Because suddenly there's an update or a reboot needed.
 
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Having a separate hardware product to act as a "Home hub" or whatever seems redundant, and unnecessarily repetitive, and simply an unneeded extra... as if an iPad or even an iPhone wasn't capable of doing the job already.

In a way, it reminds users of how borderline useless the current "Home" app is.
 
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Always fun seeing an unannounced product being delayed! If this does come out this year it will rely heavily on Siri which shockingly after all these years is still a mess. Come on Apple Siri should be rock solid! My friend uses Alexa & Siri for different things and to this day says Alexa gets it right a lot more than Siri. That is sad for an Apple Product
 
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