Review: Ring's Floodlight Cam Offers Convenient Home Security, but HomeKit Support Still Missing

[ke-iron]

Don’t like Apple’s Home app?

Then control your house from Elgato’s Eve app, or the ConnectSense app, or any of the other third-party HomeKit apps.

HomeKit control is not exclusive to Apple’s Home app.

Thank you, this is what people don’t understand. They think Apple need to explain what HomeKit is, when in fact it’s the manufacturers who makes the 3rd party products and software should explain what their product can do and how to use it.

I wonder if they buy new graphics cards and VR equipment for their pc and expect the manufacturer of the pc, or Microsoft who makes the OS to explain what their new accessories can do.

 

[avanpelt]

Apple doesn’t need to explain to the user what HomeKit is. That is the job of the 3rd party manufacturers to do that. They sell the devices that work on HomeKit so it is their duty to let the customers know what that device they purchased can do.

I wholeheartedly disagree. Apple relying on third-party manufacturers to explain to consumers what HomeKit is is akin to Apple relying on businesses to explain to their customers what Apple Pay is. Very bad idea. Apple invented the product/service and Apple should be the one largely crafting the message about it.

I can’t tell you how many cashiers have told me over the past two years as I was doing an Apple Pay transaction that they would never use their phone to pay for things because it’s not secure. That’s the kind of BS Apple is up against when it relies on largely ignorant third parties to talk about its products and services.

 

[ke-iron]

I wholeheartedly disagree. Apple relying on third-party manufacturers to explain to consumers what HomeKit is is akin to Apple relying on businesses to explain to their customers what Apple Pay is. Very bad idea. Apple invented the product/service and Apple should be the one largely crafting the message about it.

I can’t tell you how many cashiers have told me over the past two years as I was doing an Apple Pay transaction that they would never use their phone to pay for things because it’s not secure. That’s the kind of BS Apple is up against when it relies on largely ignorant third parties to talk about its products and services.

You cannot expect Apple to personally train cashiers now... It is the 3rd party company job to do it. HomeKit is the framework integrated seamlessly into products. Apple cannot teach or explain how to use the hundreds or thousands of different products that it is integrated into. That makes zero sense for Apple to do that. Apple work with these companies and provide them with material on how to train their employees, it is up to the company to follow through. Apple cannot and will never be responsible for that, for the lackadaisical behavior of the 3rd party company. There are some companies that do a phenomenal job at teaching their employees how to use their POS systems, Starbucks is a prime example. No matter the payment method you choose, cash, card, Starbucks card or Apple Pay, they know exactly how to process it. The same goes for the 3rd party companies who makes the products for in home HomeKit use, they need to provide basic instructions in or on the packaging on how to use their products. Period.

 

[avanpelt]

You cannot expect Apple to personally train cashiers now... It is the 3rd party company job to do it. HomeKit is the framework integrated seamlessly into products. Apple cannot teach or explain how to use the hundreds or thousands of different products that it is integrated into. That makes zero sense for Apple to do that. Apple work with these companies and provide them with material on how to train their employees, it is up to the company to follow through. Apple cannot and will never be responsible for that, for the lackadaisical behavior of the 3rd party company. There are some companies that do a phenomenal job at teaching their employees how to use their POS systems, Starbucks is a prime example. No matter the payment method you choose, cash, card, Starbucks card or Apple Pay, they know exactly how to process it. The same goes for the 3rd party companies who makes the products for in home HomeKit use, they need to provide basic instructions in or on the packaging on how to use their products. Period.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

I never said (as you implied that I did) that Apple should give the user directions on how to use each of the hundreds or thousands of different products that are HomeKit-compatible. I said that Apple should better explain to the average consumer why HomeKit compatibility should be an important consideration as they’re buying IoT devices for their home. Big difference. Apple created HomeKit; therefore, Apple should explain why HomeKit is important and why it’s beneficial for the consumer to seek out a HomeKit-compatible product as opposed to a product that is not HomeKit-compatible.

Also, using your logic, Apple should no longer hold iPhone keynotes and should instead rely on wireless carriers (third parties) to educate customers about the iPhone. Apple won’t do that, of course, because the iPhone is a huge cash cow for them. They wouldn’t dare to let some uninformed cell phone salesperson be the only person who tries to explain to a consumer why they should buy a $900 iPhone instead of a $400 LG phone.

 

[ke-iron]

We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

I never said (as you implied that I did) that Apple should give the user directions on how to use each of the hundreds or thousands of different products that are HomeKit-compatible. I said that Apple should better explain to the average consumer why HomeKit compatibility should be an important consideration as they’re buying IoT devices for their home. Big difference. Apple created HomeKit; therefore, Apple should explain why HomeKit is important and why it’s beneficial for the consumer to seek out a HomeKit-compatible product as opposed to a product that is not HomeKit-compatible.

Also, using your logic, Apple should no longer hold iPhone keynotes and should instead rely on wireless carriers (third parties) to educate customers about the iPhone. Apple won’t do that, of course, because the iPhone is a huge cash cow for them. They wouldn’t dare to let some uninformed cell phone salesperson be the only person who tries to explain to a consumer why they should buy a $900 iPhone instead of a $400 LG phone.

Aside from information being on their website and they have demo areas at their stores. How do you propose Apple educate customers about HomeKit? Apple doesn’t need to hold keynotes to inform the customer about their products because customers do not attend their keynotes. The media and tech industry does, and then they talk about it in news and articles online etc. If you go to Best Buy and purchase Philips hue bulbs which clearly indicate on the package what it does. Do you expect Apple and not Philips to explain how it can work with HomeKit? It doesn’t make sense.

Like I said HomeKit is the framework, it’s not meant for the customer who buys a cellphone to try and figure out how to use it, because it’s already built in. That’s like trying to figure out how email sends and receives. When all you have to do is know how to use the email app, compose and send the email, check your email. It’s the same with HomeKit products. You buy a light from Philips, they need to explain how to use that light, then you just use it and it works. Wheather you use it with your voice commands or through the Philips or home app is up to you.

 

[aristobrat]

Apple has done an absolutely piss poor job of explaining to the average user why HomeKit is important and why they, as consumers, should outfit their home with HomeKit-enabled devices as opposed to non-HomeKit-enabled devices.

I just took about 10 minutes to look at how Google, Amazon, Insteon, and SmartThings explain their technologies. None of them seem to talk about how they're better/different than the others.

When Amazon talks about Alexa, "Smart Home" is the 6th thing on the list of what it can do (after Music and Entertainment, Calling and Message, News and Information, Questions and Answers, and Help Around the House).

With Google Home, "Control your smart home with your voice" comes after "Hands-free help from the Google Assistant", "Say it to play it", "Tackle your day", and "Entertainment, hands-free"...

IMO, Apple's page explaining HomeKit was the most clear regarding how their technology can be used to control the home.

Apple HomeKit
Amazon Alexa
Google Home
Samsung SmartThings
Insteon