Although the tech masterminds from Apple have predicted the launch of their new home automation platform for this spring, it will be most probably delayed until later this fall.
Apple seems to never have announced a certain release date for HomeKit, but the public was expecting an earlier release. Sources close to the Apple team say that the representatives are planning an announcement about HomeKit at the WorldWide Developer Conference next month, provided certain aspects of the software will be ready.
Apple is still working at settling things right in the HomeKit direction. It is still hard for engineers to figure out how they can make it easier for users to sign in and get their devices online – light bulbs, door locks, etc. Lighting has also been a problem, according to close sources.
Apple has always been a technological provocateur, with great announcements made whenever there appeared a new idea for a product launched. They presented the premises of launching a HomeKit platform a year ago, at the WorldWide Developer Conference, with little information. Most of information still comes from leaks, with no clear statements from Apple representatives.
All we know from steady sources is that Apple is preparing to release a platform that will allow users control over HomeKit compliance using Siri, its speech recognizing digital assistant. They can also be announced and through notification screens on their Apple phones, tablets and watches.
They opened our appetite to indulge in their future approach on technology last year at CES, when electronics industry giants showed off plugs, light bulbs and a number of other gadgets that could be switched on and off with a simple tap on the iPhone’s notification screen.
Individuals can combine products together and control a group of home kit appliances with a simple tap on their mobile phone screens. We can build scenarios and based on those, have Apple HomeKit do things that we can forget about when in a hurry. A simple “away scene” which follows some sort of workflow for Apple HomeKit can have the device turn off all the lights and lock the door after we leave the house.
Apple is not the only company who tries to develop such gadgets but they surely want to make the best of it and take their time. There is a list of other products on the market, which offer similar functionalities but they all have a problem with the setup and require complementary devices to work at full capacity.
Apple tries to simplify things by releasing a product designed with a simple set-up process. The user only has to envision scenes, plug in the HomeKit and benefit from its functionality. The Apple user-interface will be very friendly, as opposed to a test of human patience. Quality takes time, reason why Apple doesn’t rush with premature releases.
Certified hardware will be an obligation of a HomeKit user. All list of the devices’ certified products will rely on the Made for iPhone program to meet the standards and security associated with getting on the network.
HomeKit also plans to handle Bluetooth, important news for light bulb makers and smart locks.
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