Apple partners with home builders to accelerate HomeKit use

AppleInsider

Looking to speed up adoption, Apple is partnering with various U.S. home builders to get HomeKit-ready technology installed in some homes from the start, a report said on Wednesday.

"We want to bring home automation to the mainstream," Apple's VP of product marketing, Greg Joswiak, explained to Bloomberg. "The best place to start is at the beginning, when a house is just being created."



Some partners include Lennar, KB Home, and Brookfield, but the companies haven't said when their enhanced homes will go on sale.



The principle however is that it can be easier to sell automation technologies when they're built into a house, especially since it doesn't involve retrofitting anything, and the cost of the hardware can be baked into a mortgage. A KB spokesman noted that the company's basic wireless package is $2,000, which translates into just a few pennies extra in monthly payments.



One of the main obstacles to HomeKit adoption is believed to be the upfront cost. A HomeKit-compatible Schlage deadbolt is about $200, several times the price of a conventional one. Even smartbulbs can be substantially more expensive than their ordinary counterparts.



Apple made HomeKit an important pillar of its iOS 10 upgrades in September, introducing a Home app for centralized control, and expanding the types of supported accessories. The software's improved notifications will even let users see live video feeds, and trigger remote functions -- like opening a lock -- without having to open an app.

applesauce007

Nice!  Lutron Caséta switches everywhere.  They totally rock.

Lutron PD-6ANS-WH Caseta Wireless Multi-Location In-Wall Neutral Switch, 6 Amp

Lutron PD-6WCL-WH Caseta Wireless 600/150-Watt Single Pole In-Wall Dimmer

Lutron PJ2-3BRL-WH-L01R Pico Remote Control with Favorite Setting

Lutron PICO-WBX-ADAPT Pico Wallplate Bracket

Lutron PJ2-2B-GWH-L01 Pico On/Off Remote Control

Lutron PD-3PCL-WH Caseta Wireless 300-watt Plug-In Lamp Dimmer

Lutron PD-10NXD-WH Caseta Pro In Wall Dimmer 250W LED / 1000W Incandescent/Halogen/Magnetic Low Voltage

ireland

So Apple's working with home builders to get non-Apple products built in new homes that work with iPhone? Odd, but intriguing. Perhaps if Apple acquired Netflix and offered a special subscription price for owners of Apple TV they'd get everyone to want one and then they'd get HomeKit products that use ATV as the hub. New content; existing content; secure automated hub, app ecosystem, gaming. Apple also need to step up to the plate and release their own proper gaming controller and not wimp out having third parties cater to that need. They must have about $250B in the bank by now—take 50 of that and snag Netflix and own the living room and perhaps home automation too.

Charge Apple device owners $7 per month and charge other device owners $11 per month—along with lowering ATV4 to $99. People would quickly want an Apple TV front and centre. And importantly, over time with owning streaming they get that 50B back. Sensible investment.

lkrupp

ireland said:

So Apple's working with home builders to get non-Apple products built in new homes that work with iPhone? Odd, but intriguing.

I would seem this market might be lucrative and would help diversify. Why not buy Lutron?

jvmb

I think it is a great idea to integrate home automation when a house is built, but saying that it only costs pennies per month is very misleading. Even with a 30 year 4% mortgage, the monthly payment for the $2000 loan will be $9.55. Since this technology is new, it will probably be outdated in 5 years, so it should really be amortized in 5 years. The monthly payment would then be be $36.83. That is more than a few pennies. 

polymnia

applesauce007 said:

Nice!  Lutron Caséta switches everywhere.  They totally rock.

Lutron PD-6ANS-WH Caseta Wireless Multi-Location In-Wall Neutral Switch, 6 Amp

Lutron PD-6WCL-WH Caseta Wireless 600/150-Watt Single Pole In-Wall Dimmer

Lutron PJ2-3BRL-WH-L01R Pico Remote Control with Favorite Setting

Lutron PICO-WBX-ADAPT Pico Wallplate Bracket

Lutron PJ2-2B-GWH-L01 Pico On/Off Remote Control

Lutron PD-3PCL-WH Caseta Wireless 300-watt Plug-In Lamp Dimmer

Lutron PD-10NXD-WH Caseta Pro In Wall Dimmer 250W LED / 1000W Incandescent/Halogen/Magnetic Low Voltage

Agreed, Caseta rocks.

There are problems, though.

There is a 50 device limit (including the bridge, so really 49 useful devices).

I've hit this 50 device limit already in a fairly modest 2200 square foot home.

I'm planning to transition all switched lighting to Hue (or maybe there is something else to consider?). Luton Caseta needs at least two devices for each switched light: One is the remote pico switch and the other is the plug-in dimmer unit. So the Luton Caseta system is quite inefficient for controlling switched lamp lighting. It's really too bad, because they have partnered with Sonos to make music controllers in their Pico remote format—encouraging me to add more devices to my already-full Caseta system—not to mention their motorized blind system which I've been eying for my home theater setup with 4 east-facing windows on the wall opposite my screen.

cali

ireland said:

So Apple's working with home builders to get non-Apple products built in new homes that work with iPhone? Odd, but intriguing. Perhaps if Apple acquired Netflix and offered a special subscription price for owners of Apple TV they'd get everyone to want one and then they'd get HomeKit products that use ATV as the hub. New content; existing content; secure automated hub, app ecosystem, gaming. Apple also need to step up to the plate and release their own proper gaming controller and not wimp out having third parties cater to that need. They must have about $250B in the bank by now—take 50 of that and snag Netflix and own the living room and perhaps home automation too.

Charge Apple device owners $7 per month and charge other device owners $11 per month—along with lowering ATV4 to $99. People would quickly want an Apple TV front and centre. And importantly, over time with owning streaming they get that 50B back. Sensible investment.

 Good idea but why lower the price to $99?  

The price would encourage Apple to keep the A8 chip and I'd rather AppleTV compete as a real gaming console with other innovations exclusive to it. 

I hope Apple has exclusive contracts with these homebuilders because the copycat stalkers will be on this. The usual suspects Google, Samsung, etc.

canukstorm

Many people don't buy cars unless it is CarPlay ready. Will they buy homes if they're not HomeKit-ready?

volcan

Home automation is a pretty complicated subject. I'm planning to build a new home soon. Trying to think of all the unconventional wiring I might need such as AC above the windows for automatic shades, wireless hot spots in various locations, security systems, solar power, battery backup, HVAC, etc. A lot to think about.

polymnia

volcan said:

Home automation is a pretty complicated subject. I'm planning to build a new home soon. Trying to think of all the unconventional wiring I might need such as AC above the windows for automatic shades, wireless hot spots in various locations, security systems, solar power, battery backup, HVAC, etc. A lot to think about.

My favorite upgrade (which is also a fairly easy retrofit) is USB Power receptacles. Abolishing DC transformer bricks from my home is awesome!

For new construction, I'd insist that ALL counter-top-level plugs include USB power plugs in addition to 110 volt plugs. I've seen at least one USB C model on the internet, which may become the standard charging plug for a Apple laptops fairly soon.

I'm hopeful that ALL devices that don't use actual 110 volt AC will standardize on either Micro USB or USB C as their native power input soon.

ireland

lkrupp said:

ireland said:

So Apple's working with home builders to get non-Apple products built in new homes that work with iPhone? Odd, but intriguing.

I would seem this market might be lucrative and would help diversify. Why not buy Lutron?

I don't know who they are.

eightzero

volcan said:

Home automation is a pretty complicated subject. I'm planning to build a new home soon. Trying to think of all the unconventional wiring I might need such as AC above the windows for automatic shades, wireless hot spots in various locations, security systems, solar power, battery backup, HVAC, etc. A lot to think about.

Concur. If I was in such a situation, my priority would be in accessibility and serviceability. Rather than worry about placing those AC outlets for shades, I'd want to be sure I knew exactly where the structure and runs are, making upgrades to new products later much easier. Simplicity and maintainability I think are key.

canukstorm said:

Many people don't buy cars unless it is CarPlay ready. Will they buy homes if they're not HomeKit-ready?

Yup. I saw that the 2017 Fords all make CarPlay ready systems now, so I am willing to consider one. Before that...nope.

jvmb said:

I think it is a great idea to integrate home automation when a house is built, but saying that it only costs pennies per month is very misleading. Even with a 30 year 4% mortgage, the monthly payment for the $2000 loan will be $9.55. Since this technology is new, it will probably be outdated in 5 years, so it should really be amortized in 5 years. The monthly payment would then be be $36.83. That is more than a few pennies. 

Again, I agree. I think that the only real way to make a "smart home" is from the ground up. And it has to be made so that systems can be replaced and upgraded. You cite a 30 year note, but houses are supposed to last even longer than that. Retrofitting existing houses with a complete systems simply isn't practicable.

ireland

cali said:

ireland said:

So Apple's working with home builders to get non-Apple products built in new homes that work with iPhone? Odd, but intriguing. Perhaps if Apple acquired Netflix and offered a special subscription price for owners of Apple TV they'd get everyone to want one and then they'd get HomeKit products that use ATV as the hub. New content; existing content; secure automated hub, app ecosystem, gaming. Apple also need to step up to the plate and release their own proper gaming controller and not wimp out having third parties cater to that need. They must have about $250B in the bank by now—take 50 of that and snag Netflix and own the living room and perhaps home automation too.

Charge Apple device owners $7 per month and charge other device owners $11 per month—along with lowering ATV4 to $99. People would quickly want an Apple TV front and centre. And importantly, over time with owning streaming they get that 50B back. Sensible investment.

 Good idea but why lower the price to $99?

This is with owning Netflix and attempting to own the living room. It would make financial sense to go for a $99 borderline impulse buy. They get a percentage of everything on that device and once someone goes Netflix and Netflix has Apple's backing they'd take over.

dachar

The Building Research Centre at Watford, England http://ipark.bre.co.uk has many smart homes to test new technology and building products. When I had a look about 5 years ago the thing I noticed about all the smart tech installation was the significant amount of space required for the central hub with all its various electronic boxes and the large amount of cabling going to the central hub. Typically it required at least a reasonably large walk in cupboard.
 

bobcats9498

What product is that being shown in the photo? Looks pretty cool.