The previous year Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) revealed a technology that let people control their home appliances with Siri. The technology is dubbed HomeKit. If things go according to Apple’s plan HomeKit will change your house into one huge computer- similar to the iPhone but ubiquitous.
The iPhone similar to any other gadget is a hardware developed by a specific company that can operate apps and games developed by other entities and programmers worldwide.These apps enhance the functionality as well as broaden the usability of the phone beyond if the apps were only restricted to the developer of the iPhone.
Apple is allowing all developers to create new features as well as apps to run homes. The good part is that the users don’t need to build the actual appliances or hardware for a HomeKit app.
For HomeKit to work completely hardware makers’, cooperation is needed. It’s not present at this point. However, Apple desires that third parties have the capacity to develop their own apps and features for HomeKit devices.
Opening HomeKit to the large community of app developers has its advantages and disadvantages. One fear is that others can take HomeKit and do something that Apple can’t control. However, the openness can pave the way to better apps as it gives quality software developers the opportunity to create apps for home gadgets.
Although, Internet-linked home appliances are not widely adopted, it may see take off this year. According to research from Parks Associates, only 16% of broadband households in the US have smart home devices. This number may rise to 40% this year.
One reason, why these gadgets are not widespread is that they are not so easy to set up. Apple has made a considerable effort to solve this issue via HomeKit. All HomeKit gadgets irrespective of source manufacturers have similar setup instructions to ensure consistent experience. User have to just download the mandatory companion app needed for the device to initiate the setup process.
Sources: businessinsider
