You Can Now Try HomeKit at Dozens of Apple Stores Around the World

[MacRumors]

Apple has recently unveiled interactive HomeKit experiences in 46 of its retail stores worldwide, allowing customers to test out its smart home platform free of charge, according to TechCrunch.

Interactive HomeKit demo area at an Apple Store via TechCrunch​

Each interactive setup consists of two vertical displays positioned behind an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with the Home app, which customers can use to control accessories in the virtual room, such as lights and ceiling fans.

Now, when you go into Apple’s new retail stores, you’ll be able to use the Home app from either an Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad to control devices like the Phillips Hue light bulb, the Hunter ceiling fan and many others. If you tap to the lower the shades in the living room, for example, you’ll see the shades lower in the house shown on the screen.

In the United States, customers can try HomeKit at Apple's flagship Union Square store in San Francisco, its World Trade Center and Williamsburg stores in New York City, and 28 other stores not named throughout the country.

The experience is also available until at least December in 15 stores outside of the United States, including select locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

At every other Apple retail store, the company will be offering non-interactive HomeKit experiences, according to the report.

HomeKit enables Apple users to control lights, switches, thermostats, fans, and other products with its Home app and Siri voice commands. HomeKit-enabled accessories can be controlled singularly, or in scenes, which enable multiple accessories to work in combination, all with a single command.

Article Link: You Can Now Try HomeKit at Dozens of Apple Stores Around the World

 

[RDowson]

Where is the list of stores?

 

[HoosBruce]

Very cool. I’m glad this is finally becoming stable and mainstream enough that many people who have never heard of it can walk into an Apple store and just discover it and play with it for the first time.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Geez Louise took 'em long enough. But to me the heart and beauty of HomeKit is Siri -- not that Siri doesn't need improvements). I wonder how Siri will perform in a demo situation and in a noisy environment. I have Hue lights, August lock, Ecobee thermostat. Hardly ever use the apps -- mostly Siri.

 

[McFlyOz]

This sounds like a good idea. I wonder which products they are “using” in their demo rooms to highlight HomeKit. I am interested in some automation but there are many options and varying degrees of ratings.

 

[HoosBruce]

This sounds like a good idea. I wonder which products they are “using” in their demo rooms to highlight HomeKit. I am interested in some automation but there are many options and varying degrees of ratings.

My guess would be they are demoing Philips Hue lights, ecobee thermostat, one of the locks they sell in store, and probably some sensors or something

 

[hydr]

If it´s anything like my experience, it´ll be "Updating..." or "No Responds" 50% of the time. Ha!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

This sounds like a good idea. I wonder which products they are “using” in their demo rooms to highlight HomeKit. I am interested in some automation but there are many options and varying degrees of ratings.

From the picture above it looks like it will be a "virtual demo." I'm guessing all the major HomeKit license devices and plugs can be tested out. It can't be limited just to what Apple Stores sell because HomeKit is bigger than that and I think Apple is trying to sell a system not a device they stock -- well except for the device that controls the entire HomeKit system, of course.

 

[hortod1]

if they really want to get the word out they should setup a display at places like Home Depot and Lowes as well. My folks are iPhone/iPad people but they always purchase at BestBuy - they rarely venture into an Apple Store. Home Depot/Lowes on the other hand - they're always in there. Seems like apple could reach a lot more people that way.

 

[foxcub6]

If it´s anything like my experience, it´ll be "Updating..." or "No Responds" 50% of the time. Ha!

? Really what are you using ? I've 6 Philips hue lights and very rarely have connectivity problems

 

[EdT]

Where is the list of stores?

At least in the Tech Crunch article, there really isn't one. They mention the new flagship stores in several major cities in the US then lump all other US locations into '28 other locations '.

 

[Boatboy24]

Sounds like fun. In the meantime, Siri is getting dumber, so I'm not putting any money into this just yet. Around 6pm last night, I said: "Hey Siri: what time does the MLB All Star game start?". Her response? "The MLB All Star Game is in Miami at 8am tomorrow."

 

[adamjackson]

If it´s anything like my experience, it´ll be "Updating..." or "No Responds" 50% of the time. Ha!

This is my setup:

The only device that gives me issues is the Hunter Fan and that's due to how it was wired by the electrician who wired the room for a standard fan (one switch for lights and another for fan) I have to keep lights with on and fan switch off for hunter to work.

Anywhere in the world, I can tell my Siri on Apple Watch to do things and it responds within 2-3 seconds. Apple TV is set to always on as the hub.

The Schlegel deadbolts are sometimes 10 seconds to respond.

I've noticed anything without a hub that isn't hard wired is the slowest response time.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

I am at a loss on the value of such display. It is all synthetic and devoid of realism.

You launch an app, press a bottom or glide a slider up or down, and predictably the fixed display turns/attenuates on, or off, the virtual target. [Of course, it never fails. LOL!]

Mindless and totally boring.

At least they could have placed physical devices (locks, lights, fans, ...) to show their ease of remote control.

I think that Apple could have afforded to do much better. But that is just me.

 

[DoctorTech]

I think this virtual, interactive demo is a good balance of cost efficiency and functionality. It lets people with zero home automation experience see what it would be like to control lights, shades, locks, etc. via their Apple Watch or iOS device while still not taking up much room in the store. I agree with the comment above that this needs to move beyond Apple Stores into Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. Maybe this is just a pilot and the broader roll out will occur once Home Pod is released.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I am at a loss on the value of such display. It is all synthetic and devoid of realism.

You launch an app, press a bottom or glide a slider up or down, and predictably the fixed display turns/attenuates on, or off, the virtual target. [Of course, it never fails. LOL!]

Mindless and totally boring.

At least they could have placed physical devices (locks, lights, fans, ...) to show their ease of remote control.

I think that Apple could have afforded to do much better. But that is just me.

Just you indeed. Putting real fans in the store would be stupid. A virtual room is intended to show how HK works conceptually, and that’s exactly what it does.

 

[JNGold]

That's great. But give me a call when there's a HK solution like Harmony Hub which I can use my Echo to control my TV and entertainment center. I can use either Echo or Siri to control my Hue lights but it's the TV control that I really come to enjoy using. I guess Logitech needs to get their butt in gear and get on board with HK!

 

[Ihm]

I wont. Total boring overpriced ******** and at least 5 years too late.
Welcome to sleeping pill Cooks CEO era and he finally put his mark on Apple while killing every mark of Jobs. He sucks up to investors and be a paragon of a neo-liberal business economist.

 

[realeric]

I have a HomeKit enabled thermostat and a AppleTV but couldn't activate it yet for a year. I want to use a different apple ID for the apple TV but apple doesn't allow it. Apple failed.

 

[gsmornot]

This is my setup:

The only device that gives me issues is the Hunter Fan and that's due to how it was wired by the electrician who wired the room for a standard fan (one switch for lights and another for fan) I have to keep lights with on and fan switch off for hunter to work.

Anywhere in the world, I can tell my Siri on Apple Watch to do things and it responds within 2-3 seconds. Apple TV is set to always on as the hub.

The Schlegel deadbolts are sometimes 10 seconds to respond.

I've noticed anything without a hub that isn't hard wired is the slowest response time.

You could redo the wiring. My fan was a single wire in for both light and fan, I opened the fan housing and rewired to make them separate. Not hunter but I do use Lutron Caseta and wanted fan and light control on different switches.

 

[Dave245]

The problem with buying this HomeKit stuff is if it has to be fitted, for someone like me who is useless at DIY it's a bit off putting.

 

[F1Turbo]

I've been trying to find out more about HK stuff for a while now, online and at Apple stores. The main thing I'm trying to determine is if the number of HK devices will be limited by the number of wifi devices my router can support (32, already using over 20). Does the TV as a hub take care of this issue? I've been told that HK devices use Bluetooth, and also that they use wifi.

 

[big-ted]

That's great. But give me a call when there's a HK solution like Harmony Hub which I can use my Echo to control my TV and entertainment center. I can use either Echo or Siri to control my Hue lights but it's the TV control that I really come to enjoy using. I guess Logitech needs to get their butt in gear and get on board with HK!

Why are you not using your Apple TV for all your entertainment?

Logitech are too busy working with Alexa and Google Home to worry about HomeKit

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

From the picture above it looks like it will be a "virtual demo." I'm guessing all the major HomeKit license devices and plugs can be tested out. It can't be limited just to what Apple Stores sell because HomeKit is bigger than that and I think Apple is trying to sell a system not a device they stock -- well except for the device that controls the entire HomeKit system, of course.

I was hoping they'd get loyal MacRumors customers to put cameras in their houses and enable them on their Apple ID, and then let them have it!

 

[routine_analyst]

This display looks like crap. With all the money in the world they use 4 displays arranged vertically against black. It looks creep as $&@&. Like you're looking in on someone else's house.