Apple will soon reveal its bid to take over your home, according to a new report by the Financial Times. The Cupertino-based company is preparing its connected smart home platform for a big unveiling at WWDC, which takes place next week.
Connected homes see devices fitted with internet connectivity, granting users control of their surroundings using phones and computers. This notion isn’t too far from the future either as there have been a spate of connected appliances released this year. Think of The Jetsons and you may be imagining the near future.
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Apple’s platform will aim to do the same, allowing users of iOS devices to control aspects of their home through their smartphones or tablets. When integrated with a more advanced version of Siri and a legion of internet connected devices, the possibilities are really quite endless. A few impatient software developers experimented with this a few months ago, and created Googolplex, an advanced “better” Siri.
Apple users may wirelessly command lighting, security devices such as cameras, thermostats and air-conditioners and even their Apple TV if possible. The latter will get a hardware update later this year for this very purpose, according to Financial Times’ report.
Cupertino’s move into smart home software puts it in direct competition with Google and its growing influence in the sector. The internet giant made its smart home intentions clear when it purchased Nest, the company that “reinvents unloved but important home products,” for US$3 billion a few months ago. Interestingly, Google’s Nest could also be controlled as per Apple’s third-party hardware allowance. Additional companies of Philips’s smart lighting and Dropcam’s wireless cameras, are also mentioned in the report.
Expect a major announcement during Apple’s WWDC, running from 2-6 June in San Francisco. Perhaps in the future iPhones will become more than just smartphones. Essentially they’ll be remote controls for your futuristic home.
Image: Elektrojanis via Flickr
