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Apple, like everyone, is moving to use Matter. Matter is based on openThread. Thread requires IEEE 802.15.4. IEEE 802.15.4 requires a different physical radio than the iPad has (or the mac or the iPhone). Apple isn't crippling anything, purposely or not. The hardware necessary just isn't there.
My iPhone 12
Pro isn’t going to be able to work with Matter and / or Thread? My iPhone, with my 2nd generation Apple
TV 4K, already works directly with the Nanoleaf lightbulbs via Thread on iOS 15 and tvOS 15.
 
I gotta say I always found it strange that a mobile device could act as a Home Hub. It could cause a lot of instability.
A Hub needs to be up and running 24/7. The HomePod and the Apple TV meet this criteria.
Not even Macs meet this criteria, because you're supposed to turn off your computer after use.
Nope. Beside, the best hub is going to be an AppleTV since it doesn't ever leave the home. It make sense to me that the iPad would not be an ideal hub if it leaves the home. But a lot of people have dedicated older iPads to be the home hub and even screw it to the wall. So those kinds of hubs aren't going anywhere. So I suspect it's more about some bluetooth and Thread protocols are going to not be present in up-coming iPadOS. Maybe it will be added back later.
 
From the article….“The Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, HomePod, and HomePod mini will all work as home hubs with the new architecture that Apple has in the works”.

I suspect above will turn out not to be correct. Of these 4 devices, only the current TV 4K and Homepod mini have support for Thread.

Original HomePod and TV HD do not (nor does iPad). Ie, they don’t have the necessary WPAN radio hardware for Thread support.

Like iPad, they should still be able to function as a hub as they do now, but not as a hub with whatever additional features associated with the new architecture coming later this year (Matter).
 
I still have an iMac that has been turned on since 2001, with the exception of power outages and moving it. So.... probably 20+ year 'left on' rate.
 
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I gotta say I always found it strange that a mobile device could act as a Home Hub. It could cause a lot of instability.
A Hub needs to be up and running 24/7. The HomePod and the Apple TV meet this criteria.
Not even Macs meet this criteria, because you're supposed to turn off your computer after use.

An iPad connected to power with a batter is more reliable than an Apple TV
 
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It’s also likely the original homepod won’t be supported… no thread support.
I hope not! When one of my original HomePods is acting as the home hub I get major instability. Much better to have one of the HomePod minis or Apple TV act as the home hub instead.
 
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Why is it all or nothing on matter?

Another lesson on why you should not be an early adopter.
Don't think it is all or nothing. Apple has said that HomeKit devices will continue to work alongside Matter. (How that will work I don't know, eg: HomeKit motion sensor turning on Matter enabled lightbulbs?)
 
I can kind of see this, but iPads don't turn off. They only go into standby.
There is a power button on the iPad. You can turn it off if you want to (Shut down). It does "boot" similarly like a mac does.
Also, if that's the reason, what about desktop Macs? An iMac is surely the perfect Home hub. It's stationary, and it's often near other home stuff.
I could see a Mac Mini being more of the "hub" device. Plenty of power for other media things too. Can be hooked up via HDMI to a receiver/TV input as well. But, that is kinda what the Apple TV is really for. Smaller than the mini, and a better UI for media than a full blown macOS desktop. No need for keyboard and mouse. You can use your iPhone in a pinch or the supplied remote.
Computers haven't been designed to be "turned off after use" for a long, long time.
I'm in IT. I have yet to see a computer that can't be turned off. Unless we are talking about SAN/NAS storage, which tends to not have an easily accessible power button. But, otherwise yeah. My iMac Pro has a power button. I wouldn't agree it was designed to not be turned off after use. Plus these things boot up REALLY fast too.
To each is own I guess.
 
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In other words, the iPad is a idiotic device instead of smart and it doesn’t Matter, got it crap marketing team.

#iPadDoesntMatter
 
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RE: mobile devices as home hub

So if someone takes the iPad to work... then nobody can turn on the smart lights in the home?

🤨
Well, if you build a smart house without physical light switches and without a non-homekit based offline working control panel, you’ve built it wrong.

In 6 years you can demolish it, when Apple adds your house to the vintage list.
 
I know it doesn't damage the hardware or anything, but I have a problem with leaving my computer up and running for nothing. I think a lot of people leave it on all the time, but I also think the majority turns it off like I do.

Also, the disk activity is suspended on Macs by default. I believe acting as a hub requires disk usage somehow, no matter how small amounts of data are for doing such task. Or does it all happen in the RAM !?
Modern Mac go to sleep. They maintain low levels of activity to keep communication going and do housekeeping tasks. The SSD is still available for use. A Mac can be used a a file server, too. A HomeKit hub would be easy. I suspect that you are not in the majority about turning your Mac off. Regardless, if someone were using their Mac as a hub then they would choose to not turn it off. We don’t all use our devices in the same way.

…and brace yourself, my iPad is almost always plugged in and sitting in the dining room or living room and never leaves the house unless we are on a trip.
 
I love apple’s strategy of purposely crippling iPadOS features, brilliant!!
Did you bother to read the article?

iPadOS 16 will continue to support homekit hubs in the exact same way as before.

It will not support the new Matter standard for obvious technical limitations (lack of Thread). Or would you like Apple to send you a hardware upgrade kit?
 
Apple, like everyone, is moving to use Matter. Matter is based on openThread. Thread requires IEEE 802.15.4. IEEE 802.15.4 requires a different physical radio than the iPad has (or the mac or the iPhone). Apple isn't crippling anything, purposely or not. The hardware necessary just isn't there.
Thread is only one of the modes of connectivity for Matter, and it is not the only one. Matter devices can also talk to each other using regular WiFi, or even BLE in the future.
 
Thread is only one of the modes of connectivity for Matter, and it is not the only one. Matter devices can also talk to each other using regular WiFi, or even BLE in the future.
I was going to see - Seems like the Gen 1 ATV4K will support matter but it also doesn’t have a thread radio.
 
My iPhone 12
Pro isn’t going to be able to work with Matter and / or Thread? My iPhone, with my 2nd generation Apple
TV 4K, already works directly with the Nanoleaf lightbulbs via Thread on iOS 15 and tvOS 15.

A hub bridges your iot devices (and their various peculiar radios) to the rest of your devices. Your phone does not work ‘directly’ with your thread based bulbs. If they are using thread, you are going through a hub.
 
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