CES 2019: Ring Debuts New Door View Cam, HomeKit Still Not Included

[Jaro65]

Putting too much emphasis on only the iPhone is one of the biggest problems with Tim Cook’s leadership philosophy. He’s a real bean counter. He doesn’t seem to realize that the “ecosystem” is part of what could help drive iPhone sales. Steve Jobs understood the value of the ecosystem, and he created ancillary products to support it (even if they weren’t big sellsers on their own, they supported the sales of other Apple products). Cook, on the other hand, kills off things like the Airport routers, and apparently he’s letting HomeKit rot on the vine. There’s plenty of room for improvements and advancements with carplay, but that’s just stagnant as well. If Cook doesn’t go, in about 10 years all of us Apple diehards are gonna find ourselves left in the dust by the competitors who are making advancements with their own, separate ecosystems. I’ve been pretty firmly planted in the Apple ecosystem for 10 years, and I don’t look forward to the day I get jealous of an ecosystem that is offered by some other company. Apple should really start making their own video doorbells, but I doubt that will ever happen. Cook thinks buying Beats, a substandard fad headphone brand, is a good move. He could have put Apple in a position 5 years ago to basically own the camera doorbell market, but just like Balmer, he’s shortsighted.

I completely agree with your post. This management philosophy is likely going to have a substantial impact on Apple. I also like your comparison to MS. What a dramatic improvement there since the transition from Ballmer to Nadella. Apple also needs a visionary leader. Mr. Cook is obviously very good at what he does: operational optimization. It is unclear if he can provide a product leadership. His actions really raise a concern.

 

[sidewinder3000]

LOL meanwhile every other article on the front page is about HomeKit and AirPlay 2 flooding onto other brands’ products. Whatever.

Which is really great to see. But Alexa was able to build a dramatic lead over Siri / HomeKit for a reason.[/QUOTE]
One of those reasons being Amazon’s willingness to risk user data and security to gain market share and ubiquity. As opposed to Apple’s stubborn refusal to enter into partnerships and agreements with anyone who doesn’t adhere to their strict security and privacy guidelines.
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If I want something in a product and it's not there I just won't buy it, simple.

Agreed. The only leverage consumers have to get these lazy, greedy tech companies to add features is the almighty dollar.
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No HomeKit, no problem. Too many other (better) options.

Not true. In many ways, HomeKit is the most robust and flexible solution on the market for managing multiple devices and actions. There’s more work to do, and I expect a major leap forward this next WWDC, but as is the HomeKit app is already, quietly, one of the best solutions available.

 

[ipedro]

I’ve been looking for a peephole smart doorbell for a long time. I would have immediately jumped on this a few years ago.

But now, with the focus on HomeKit sharpening, any smart home device that doesn’t support HomeKit is lacking full support for Apple users.

I’m sure another brand will be happy to fill the void.

 

[Compsciguy]

It would also be nice if they could add HomeKit support for the Ring Alarm as well which I got for Christmas. Would be great to disarm my system by raising my Apple Watch and saying "Disarm my system."

There is a homebridge plugin that connects the ring alarm to HomeKit. Works great!

https://github.com/dgreif/homebridge-ring-alarm/blob/master/README.md

 

[4nNtt]

I want to like Ring, they are the first to create a monitored security system priced for the middle class, but they really need to get HomeKit support out the door. I read somewhere a second hand comment about one of their VPs saying HomeKit support was done, but they are not releasing it because Apple will not allow them to send s push notification to both their app and via an Apple TV. Not sure if there is truth to that.

 

[C DM]

I want to like Ring, they are the first to create a monitored security system priced for the middle class, but they really need to get HomeKit support out the door. I read somewhere a second hand comment about one of their VPs saying HomeKit support was done, but they are not releasing it because Apple will not allow them to send s push notification to both their app and via an Apple TV. Not sure if there is truth to that.

Aren't there some others, like SimplySafe, for example (although perhaps without a video doorbell)?