Apple: HomeKit smart home devices to debut next month

Apple says that its smart home partners will start releasing hardware next month that pairs with its HomeKit app. The tech titan has already started certifying hardware accessories from these partners. Last June at WWDC, Apple introduced the HomeKit app which allows users to control their appliances, like the thermostat, door locks and lights, using an Apple iPhone or Apple iPad.

With HomeKit, iOS users will be able to tell Siri to "get ready for bed" and that will automatically lock the front and garage doors and dim the inside lights. Consumers will also be able to create "scenes" so that those leaving the house can make it appear that someone is home. Both Samsung's SmartThings and Google's Nest are competitors.

A report in Fortune stated that the hardware wouldn't be released until late August or September. A problem with some of the battery operated devices being manufactured for Apple's smart home system is that Apple's code requires more memory than these devices can carry. As a result, the company has been working with its partners on making the code smaller. But today's report in the Wall Street Journal seems to indicate that the smart home products will be ready to be released next month.

Apple wants to make it easier for smart home users by having them go to one app to control each of their appliances. When it introduced HomeKit last year, Apple said that it would use a "common protocol" to help devices talk with each other and with the iPhone and iPad.

source: WSJ