"Apple's efforts in the smart home space have seemed, for a long time, more like a hobby than a serious product line. I'm a fan of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod, but outside of those two products, Apple has largely been content to let third parties build the various accessories that power a smart home. HomeKit exists, of course, but Apple's first-party Home products remain limited."
"My experience with third-party smart home accessories has been highly mixed. And trying to make everything work seamlessly together with HomeKit and Apple's Home app has at times caused headaches. Based on Apple's product history, I expect its new Home accessories to be a cut above the competition. But they also, importantly, are unlikely to follow the path that Samsung is now following."
"The new powers of the smart home, while having a lot of potential to improve users' lives, unfortunately seem to be increasingly used to advertise to users. A couple recent examples include: Now, the latest example is just as unfortunate-if not more so. Samsung recently rolled out a software update to its smart refrigerators. Thanks to that update, your fridge may now start showing you ads."
Apple will launch new first-party smart home products soon and will ramp up offerings through 2026. Rumored devices include a HomePod with a screen, a security camera, and a smart doorbell. HomeKit and the Apple Home app currently exist, but first-party Home hardware has been limited to Apple TV 4K and HomePod. Third-party smart home accessories often produce mixed results and interoperability challenges. Samsung issued a software update that can display advertising on Family Hub refrigerator Cover Screens when idle. Ad design and placement may vary with personalization options, creating a contrast with Apple's planned approach.
Read at 9to5Mac
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]