During the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which will take place between June 2nd and June 6th 2014, the famous brand Apple intends to make a big splash in the world of the “connected home”. Checking our fridge, our heating or our alarm from an iPhone or an iPad is a dream that can become real at the conference.
Apple mobile devices are well known in the world of technology and will potentially integrate our everyday lives. According to the Financial Times, the brand intends to present a software platform that enables mobile users to control their homes. . The iPhone and iPad owners will be able to use their devices as a sort of remote control. This will control heating, shutters and lighting in and around the house.
During conferences like the IFA, CES or CeBIT, people had the opportunity to see scenarios of actions being automated like the adaptation of the light or heating once the person has entered the house. For example, the iBeacon application can play a big role in this process. It allows, via a Bluetooth connection, to control the temperature of the water or change the music’s volume.
The main advantage of this potential introduction of Apple in the era of connected home is that the person can make energy savings. The introduction was not decided overnight. A few months ago, or more precisely in January, its rival Google introduced with the purchase of Nest Labs, thermostats manufacturer and Samsung, to manage washing machines from a smartphone.
Apple is lagging behind Samsung, but the American brand has been offering for some time now, in Germany, an application to control portable LED lights that are connected to the WiFi network. In addition, this application allows the iPhone user to control if nobody is in the house once the device has been connected to a surveillance camera.
Moreover, Apple has already bought thermostats from Nest Labs USA. During the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January, the Chinese company Haier, the largest manufacturer of household appliances, announced it had received an Apple MFi certification. This will therefore allow iOS device users to control the temperature with the connected thermostat and many other household appliances will follow.
Known to keep the suspense, Apple did not want to comment on the article published in the Financial Times. We will have to wait until early June to see if Apple will definitely enter the world of the connected home.
Fabio MARTINS-CERQUEIRA
Étudiant en M2 Commerce électronique, passionné de nouvelles technologies, de sport et de tout ce qui touche au monde des communications/marketing.
