In an effort to beat rivals like Google into people’s homes, Apple is reportedly working with building firms to incorporate HomeKit-compatible technologies into houses as they’re being built.
“We want to bring home automation to the mainstream,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, told Bloomberg. “The best place to start is at the beginning, when a house is just being created.”
Apple is said to be working with companies including the Miami-based construction company Lennar Corp., Calgary, Canada-based Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. and other builders. So far, none of the companies have revealed when the homes they’re building will go on sale.
[contextly_auto_sidebar]
The technologies mentioned in the article include iPad-controlled blackout shades, lights, self-running baths, music systems, video doorbells, and more.
It’s certainly an interesting strategy, and one more way for Apple to establish a revenue stream for a part of its business first announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2014. Since then, Apple has given its stamp of approval to more and more HomeKit-compatible technologies, while removing non-compatible technologies from the Apple store.
It’s interesting to note that, in some states, it’s becoming a legal demand to use smart technologies as part of new builds. For example, in Austin, Texas, a new city regulation requires smart thermostats in all new houses and apartments.
While there’s a big gulf in the energy-saving benefits of a smart thermostat and the luxury of a music system you can control with your iPad, it’s not out of the question that safety features like video doorbells may also become demanded standard parts of new builds in the future.
In other words, this is a smart move on Apple’s part — and a cunning way of getting home owners to enter the Apple ecosystem if they haven’t already!
Source: Bloomberg
