Apple is yet again launching a new product, well more than one actually. September 9 saw the official unveiling of the Apple iWatch and the eagerly awaited iPhone 6.
What is exciting about the iWatch is that this wearable device should, according to reports, be able to use the new HomeKit function on Apple’s new iOS 8 operating system. And what that means to home automation fans is that it potentially allows users to control elements within the house such as lights and garage doors.
iOS 8
Both devices are expected to be powered by iOS 8, launched by the company in June.
Already, through iOS 8, users can use the HealthKit app to monitor their health and fitness including blood pressure and heart rate. Now there is HomeKit, which is Apple’s connected home framework, which will allow users to control home appliances and other connected devices through the app. This app has been designed to streamline smart devices to control them in one place. And yes, it will involve Siri, the industry’s favourite faceless annoyance. Siri will soon be able to turn the lights out, set the heating controls and shut the garage door.
The iPhone 6 which will be launched at the same time, is Apple’s ninth iPhone model, and will be launched in two options: 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. It is rumoured that both versions will use in-cell touch panel technology as the iPhone 5 does.
It is interesting to see the development of the iPhone 6 being geared very much towards the home automation market, moving from merely a communication device more towards a lifestyle device.
iWatch
As for the iWatch, it promises to be quite a device. Apple has lured over a number of key names in the fashion industry such as former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve and last year, CEO Tim Cook of Apple said: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/apple-iwatch-with-a-rumoured-release-date-of-september-9th-heres-everything-we-know-about-apples-fabled-smartwatch-9696140.html “I think for something to work here, you first have to convince people it’s so incredible that they want to wear it.” So it is eagerly awaited in the marketplace.
And according to sources, up to 80 million of the iPhone 6 devices are expected to be produced by the end of the year, showing Apple’s great confidence in an increasing market. Last month we mentioned that NextMarket Insights http://nextmarket.co/blogs/news-1/14195169-home-security-market-set-to-reinvent-itself-in-age-of-smart-home has already predicted $1.5 billion to be spent on equipment and services by 2020 in DIY self-installed home security solutions in the US. So it’s very interesting to see what Apple said in its press announcement and how focused it will be on home automation.