HomeKit just gained a powerful new partner: Communication firm Broadcom announced yesterday that its WICED (“Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices”) software now offers full support with Apple’s connected-accessory framework.
WICED is the first software development kit to meet HomeKit’s standards for Wi-fi and Bluetooth Smart, which gives it a head start over other companies looking to get in on Apple’s platform.
Apple started talking about HomeKit along with the iOS 8 launch in September 2014, and it will be Apple’s contribution to the “Internet of Things,” in which computers, phones, and even appliances connected to a network can all communicate and act in concert. So, for example, you could turn your lights on from the driveway or tell your Internet-enabled blender (once such a thing exists) to have a smoothie ready for you when you get home from work.
“Today we reached another milestone for our WICED family with full HomeKit support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Smart,” Brian Bedrosian, Broadcom’s senior director of product marketing said in the press release. “By delivering a complete IoT platform with HomeKit compliance we are enabling developers and [manufacturers] to deliver highly interoperable home connectivity solutions for the optimal consumer experience.”
Broadcom is one of the world’s largest chip and processor manufacturers, so if anyone can usher in an era in which your bathroom scale can talk to your furnace, they can.
