GE to Create Intelligent LED Lightbulbs Compatible with Apple HomeKit

[MacRumors]

GE today announced plans to take advantage of Apple's HomeKit platform, creating intelligent, color-changing LED lightbulbs that will interface with iOS devices. GE's HomeKit-compatible LED lightbulbs will include GE's Align technology, which aims to improve sleep through controlling blue light output at critical times.

During the day, the Align technology is able to mimic daylight to suppress the production of melatonin for a more awake feeling, adding bright blue tones to white light, and at night, blue light is reduced to promote melatonin production and avoid disrupting circadian sleep rhythms.

"As we continue to grow our infrastructure business by connecting our brilliant industrial machines to the Internet, it is important that consumers experience connected things in easy-to-use, everyday ways. Lighting is how many first experiment with the idea of a smart home, and our insights show that consumers want the ability to control lighting from anywhere, automate lighting and pair lighting with other devices--like sensors, thermostats and door locks," says Comstock. "We're excited to announce our support for HomeKit as it will bring a seamless, intuitive user experience using Siri and superior quality of light from America's most trusted lighting brand for more than a century."

HomeKit is Apple's home control platform that will allow Apple devices to control various connected smart home products like lightbulbs, garage doors, locks, fans, thermostats, power outlets, and more. Users will be able to give Siri commands to perform actions that will control physical objects, such as "shut off the lights" or "close the garage," with the Apple TV serving as a home automation hub.

Through HomeKit, the GE bulbs will integrate with other HomeKit-connected devices and will be able to be controlled by voice using Siri. Lightbulbs will be available for individual control and can also be organized into groups for room-wide lighting scenes.

GE's upcoming lighting project will be a direct competitor to the Philips hue line of lights, which also allow consumers to choose lighting colors based on mood and control lights with their iOS devices. Philips is also one of Apple's HomeKit partners and plans to have its hue lighting system integrate with HomeKit.

Apple's HomeKit hardware specifications were finalized in October of 2014, further paving the way for the first HomeKit devices to come to market. In January, Apple said it was "excited" about the growing number of partners bringing HomeKit products to market. Some of those upcoming products include the iDevices smart plug, Elgato's range of connected home devices, and the Schlage Sense smart lock.

We still don't know when HomeKit-enabled devices will be widely available for purchase, but GE says that its lightbulbs will be available later in 2015.

Article Link: GE to Create Intelligent LED Lightbulbs Compatible with Apple HomeKit

 

[friedmud]

When!??

I'm all set up with Hue bulbs through my whole house. All I've ever wanted is to be able to say "Hey Siri turn out all of the lights" as I go to bed and have it be so.

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

 

[rdlink]

I'm all set up with Hue bulbs through my whole house. All I've ever wanted is to be able to say "Hey Siri turn out all of the lights" as I go to bed and have it be so.

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Well, I was an early Hue adopter, and I maintain that you may be placing the blame in the wrong place. My question, based on my largely disappointing experience with Hue would be, "Why is it taking Philips so long to get their stuff HomeKit enabled?"

Hue has been a kludge from day one, and while I didn't expect it to be the end all, be all as soon as I bought it I really thought and hoped Philips would have made better strides with it than they have.

 

[UnseenLlama]

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Same reason they wait to release all their products...when it's ready.

 

[TonyC28]

All of this HomeKit stuff sounds promising. Hopefully products start trickling out soon.

 

[crxlurpiphone]

Well, I was an early Hue adopter, and I maintain that you may be placing the blame in the wrong place. My question, based on my largely disappointing experience with Hue would be, "Why is it taking Philips so long to get their stuff HomeKit enabled?"

Hue has been a kludge from day one, and while I didn't expect it to be the end all, be all as soon as I bought it I really thought and hoped Philips would have made better strides with it than they have.

My neighbor and good friend is writing the new bridge firmware for homekit. Bad news for all of us with hue, we will need a new bridge in order to integrate with homekit when compete. I am just as frustrated since I bought my hue after the announcement that it would integrate so now I will have to buy another bridge.. Grrrr.

 

[BostonQuad]

<nitpick>
color-*changing*, not color-*charging*
</nitpick>

Although color-charging would be a cool alternative to wireless charging.

 

[iGraham4]

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Huh? Apple announced Homekit at WWDC last year!

 

[k1121j]

Well, I was an early Hue adopter, and I maintain that you may be placing the blame in the wrong place. My question, based on my largely disappointing experience with Hue would be, "Why is it taking Philips so long to get their stuff HomeKit enabled?"

Hue has been a kludge from day one, and while I didn't expect it to be the end all, be all as soon as I bought it I really thought and hoped Philips would have made better strides with it than they have.

i agree with you here but i do LOVE the syfy sync lots

 

[melgross]

Price baby, price!

All of this sounds great, but at what cost? I was early replacing incandescent with cfl, and have been experimenting with LED since the bulbs cost well over $100. Now that prices are reasonable, for the last year, or so, I've been moving to them.

But these multihue lights are still way too expensive considering the low output they have. Generally, with an average color, they seem equivalent to a 40 watt tungsten. That's not nearly good enough. While bulbs from Cree cost between $9 for 40 watt equiv. to $20 for 100 watt equiv.

Until prices for multihue bulbs come closer to those light levels and prices, they will be bought more for uniqueness than general utility.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I'm all set up with Hue bulbs through my whole house. All I've ever wanted is to be able to say "Hey Siri turn out all of the lights" as I go to bed and have it be so.

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Hear Hear

I feel like most stuff in iOS 8 should be labeled BETA

 

[ScottHammet]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]

We still don't know when HomeKit-enabled devices will be widely available for purchase, but GE says that its lightbulbs will be available later in 2015.

Article Link: GE to Create Intelligent LED Lightbulbs Compatible with Apple HomeKit

Good. Maybe with a little competition, the prices will come down.

 

[jclo]

<nitpick>
color-*changing*, not color-*charging*
</nitpick>

Although color-charging would be a cool alternative to wireless charging.

That's not nitpicking! Fixed that typo, thank you. Someone get on that color charging thing though.

 

[rdlink]

My neighbor and good friend is writing the new bridge firmware for homekit. Bad news for all of us with hue, we will need a new bridge in order to integrate with homekit when compete. I am just as frustrated since I bought my hue after the announcement that it would integrate so now I will have to buy another bridge.. Grrrr.

If buying a new bridge will help me get a better experience from my Hue bulbs I'm all in. I have $400+ invested in them now, and spending another ~$49 or so on a new bridge that brought better integration and user experience would not make me upset.

 

[ohio.emt]

I'm all set up with Hue bulbs through my whole house. All I've ever wanted is to be able to say "Hey Siri turn out all of the lights" as I go to bed and have it be so.

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Amazon beat them to it, if you have an Echo you can do it now.

I think what is taking so long is Apple being Apple you have to use approved components for home kit, so any of your old stuff probably won't work.

 

[AlecZ]

If this ever happens, it's going to take a LONG time for it to work well and be cost-effective.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Looking forward to the new Apple TV that will be at the center of it all.

 

[JackANSI]

Just what the world needs... another "connected" light bulb going for asinine amounts of money...

I guess it is a step in the right direction anyway as they didn't decide to just make up their own standard/app to control it all...

 

[nozebleed]

all for the low low price of $79 each

 

[Apple Corps]

Why do we need a proprietary bridge with Hue? Should that functionality not be imbedded within the bulb base?

 

[TheIguana]

This sounds pretty similar to what f.lux does on my Mac right now, but as a whole house lighting system. Would be great if Apple would get off their butts and include native f.lux support in the next iOS version - that darn blue light on my iPad/iPhone sure doesn't help sleep patterns.

Too bad GE's system looks to be a two bulb system - one for AM and one for PM, not just one bulb that oscillates between different light temperature outputs.

 

[teslo]

is this my inevitable house?

 

[macosxuser01]

Does anyone know if the light bulbs are Z-Wave compatible?

----------

I'm all set up with Hue bulbs through my whole house. All I've ever wanted is to be able to say "Hey Siri turn out all of the lights" as I go to bed and have it be so.

Why is it taking 2 years for Apple to release Homekit properly?!

Or you can just do it from your Apple watch like how I do it
https://youtu.be/WqixyC6OyPw

 

[Sharewaredemon]

hue changing light bulbs are totally a great idea.

they work in line with flux on your mac to help

wait a minute so we can get these bulbs that will work with homekit,

but what about ios, how come ios can't change the hue it emits?

apple really needs to work with flux to get that functionality into ios somehow because come on....

 

[satcomer]

What people want is for lights to turn on as soon as the Garage door opens so the lights will be on as soon as you get into the house. Plus timed lights when you are not home too.