Apple snubs Nokia's Withings on new HomeKit accessories webpage

AppleInsider

Apple recently revamped its online list of HomeKit-compatible products to include status updates on upcoming products. While the catalog includes products from a number of manufacturers, it fails to mention a security camera from major brand Nokia's Withings subsidiary.

Apple's new HomeKit accessories webpage provides iOS users with a comprehensive directory of devices supporting the company's smart home platform. It seems Apple is also tracking development status of forthcoming products, as it assigns "announced" and "coming soon" qualifiers alongside links to manufacturer websites.

The list contains well over 100 individual products from a variety of third party firms, including small Chinese outfits, categorizing each into one of 15 categories: lights, switches, outlets, thermostats, windows, fans, air conditioners, sensors, security, locks, cameras, doorbells, garage doors, bridges and range extenders.

Notably absent from Apple's collection of upcoming wares is Withings' Home Plus, an internet-connected security camera announced at CES in January. Marketed as a security camera and baby monitor, Home Plus features an HD camera with low light recording capabilities, microphone and speaker for two-way communications, light and music programs and environmental sensors for monitoring air quality.

The Home Plus is basically an upgraded version of the already available Withings Home, but with support for Apple's HomeKit baked in. Home was previously featured in Apple's online store, but the product and references to it were removed in December when the Cupertino tech giant scrubbed its website of all Withings devices. The move came when a legal feud erupted between Apple and Withings parent company Nokia.

It seems Apple is carrying forward a no-Withings policy to its new HomeKit accessories webpage, as Home Plus is nowhere to be found. Only two devices, the D-Link Omna 180 CAM HD and Kidde RemoteLync Camera with RemoteLync bridge, are listed in the "cameras" category.

Withings once enjoyed happy retail alliance with Apple for more than two years, even after Nokia purchased the French accessories firm for $192 million last April. The partnership quickly soured when Nokia filed suit against the iPhone maker for allegedly violating 32 patents. Apple released its own legal hounds and lodged a lawsuit against nine patent holdings firms and Nokia itself, claiming the entities are participating in a licensing conspiracy.

The legal war quickly escalated, with Nokia lodging 14 additional complaints in the U.S. and Japan covering a total of 40 patents.

esquirecats

It probably didn't help that the Withings products were poorly received by the public, usually scoring in the medium range because video footage couldn't be downloaded, there was no scheduling and the blocking feature (which turns off the camera), didn't turn off the microphone.

A very patchy product indeed considering the price of it versus competitors.

ericthehalfbee

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

soli

1) I'm not worried about it with my Withings digital scale, unless Obama can turn it into a camera, because that's not a flattering angle on anyone.

2) The CIA leaks should be a boon for HomeKit-enabled devices.

edited March 2017

sockrolid

AppleInsider said:

... While the catalog includes products from a number of manufacturers, it fails to mention a security camera from major brand Nokia's Withings subsidiary. ...

Not to worry.
I'm sure Groupon and Costco will be discounting the new Withings products in a few months.

vukasika

This is just sad for us consumers.  Withings products for health tracking are pretty good, scale is better than Fitbit.  If Apple is giving Withings the cold shoulder it would be nice to see some alternative Apple products provide the same capacities.

doozydozen

Apple, you be throwing so much shade  

jfanning

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

soli

jfanning said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

Huh? I assume he's referring to HomeKit-enabled products are good for Apple's bottomline as it strengthens their ecosystem (as well as helps Nokia's sales). If their HomeKit-enabled devices are certified then that shouldn't be a barrier.

My guess is that this is just a common retailer issue that will be resolved soon enough, just like we've seen with other products that Apple sells and promotes.

edited March 2017

esquirecats

jfanning said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

Actually to be perfectly fair here: Apple and its vendors have already paid for the relevant Nokia patents that go into their designs. The problem is that there is a sketchy business model in making money out of frivolous patent lawsuits. So people like you and I don't need to go around and play the role of the court system, the court system will render a decision just fine without either of our input and they'll do this based on informed evidence and processes - and not from a bunch of opinions in an enthusiast website's comments section.

ericthehalfbee

jfanning said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

Apple already pays Nokia a fair rate for their patents that are only a part of the entire patent pool required to make a modern smartphone. Ericsson, Samsung, Blackberry, Nortel and others are also large contributors.

Too bad Nokia went from being the largest cell phone company in the world to nothing more than a pathetic patent troll because they were either too stupid (or incompetent) to compete in the smartphone market after the iPhone turned the industry upside down.

They shouldn't be surprised at having their products removed from the Apple Store. Just like Bose had back when they had their little patent tiff. Or ask Samsung how it feels to have billions of dollars in component sales go to their competitors (like TSMC).

uroshnor

So 2 part problem;

- Patents : Apple has already paid Nokia under FRAND terms for most/all of the tech involved. What Nokia is doing is "patent re-engineering" to try and extract additional revenue from the market, by tweaking existing patents, getting the new ones re-issued, and then claiming non-FRAND licensing terms for essentially the same thing but under a new patent. That will get dealt with in a court, but it's dodgy AF.

- Withings may be withdrawing from HomeKit - they have basically stated they are setting up their own cross platform rival system - it would not make sense for Apple  to push / promote an orphaned Withings product 

polymnia

Too bad.. the Withings gear was pretty good. Hopefully none of the currently HomeKit-aware devices will be scrubbed of the HomeKit-awareness. 

soli

uroshnor said:

- Withings may be withdrawing from HomeKit - they have basically stated they are setting up their own cross platform rival system - it would not make sense for Apple  to push / promote an orphaned Withings product 

While that seems like a dumb move at least it makes sense. That said, I do hope that's not the case for sake of all consumers.

cali

jfanning said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

Apple pays for licensing they aren't samscum. 

I can't respect a single company who makes iKnockoffs so fu** Nokia. 

proline

Worth mentioning in all this is that Withings isn't very good to their customers. I have their body scale which came with a great iPad app that they since discontinued in a favor of their shitty all things to everyone iPhone only HealthMate app. And they still sell a Smart Kid Scale which requires a shitty old iOS 6 app to set up. That app warns under iOS 10.3 and likely won't work on iOS 11 leaving users unable to access their brand new 2017 scale. This isn't the Apple experience at all.

jfanning

cali said:

jfanning said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

So you are saying Apple should just pay up to Nokia's demands since they developed technology that allows Apple to exist today?

Apple pays for licensing they aren't samscum. 

I can't respect a single company who makes iKnockoffs so fu** Nokia. 

What "iKnockoff" is Nokia making?

glynh

Not sure that its just a Withings snub as there are many more devices not listed such as Ring Pro, Canary Plus, Eve Aqua, Eve Extend etc.

dusty in denver

Nokia renamed the brand to "Nokia" so people who wanted fairly priced, innovative products easily. Don't think Nok was too concerned about apples snub as they figured they wouldn't be paid any way.