Google’s acquisition of Nest Labs might have convinced Apple that it needs to come up with something in this field, as well. The Cupertino company’s version of a smart home might be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference next month.
A patent filled by Apple in November 2013 suggests that the company is working on a Smart Home system that involves heavy automation of various devices. At the core of the system sit Apple’s mobile devices, respectively the iPhone and the iPad. Unlike other patents that might have been won by the company just to make sure that the competition is not using the technology, this one will have a real world application quite soon, if we are to believe the Financial Times. Apple is reportedly going to showcase the technology behind its home automation system at WWDC 2014.
Apple wouldn’t be Apple without a huge dose of arrogance, so the company is already claiming that its yet to be launched Smart Home system is superior to the solutions currently available on the market.
Jan Dawson, tech analyst with Jackdaw, is quite confident that Apple might be the one to do things right about home automation: “The reason people want to work with Apple in the first place is it’s all about quality and being officially sanctioned. That’s a very established model at Apple.”
The solution that Apple is considering might resemble AirPlay and iBeacon, but focuses on home automation products and appliances. As the patent’s description say, the Smart Home system developed by Apple will be able to control lighting systems, garage-doors openers, music controller, security systems, climate controllers and even kitchen appliances.
The way I see it, Apple’s Smart Home system is not that different from the existent home automation solutions, it’s just that it is able to control a greater number of devices than the typical systems. Apple fanboys will rejoice at this news, thinking that iOS 8 has become a software capable of controlling the entire surrounding world. Still, others think that having the fridge, stove, dishwasher or microwave oven connected to the Internet of Things is a bit too much, not to mention unnecessary. By trying to make things more connected we also make some of them more complex than they need to be.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see Apple’s approach next week at the WWDC.
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