Apple refutes report of delayed HomeKit launch, says first products coming in June

Posted:
in iPhone edited May 2015
Apple on Thursday refuted claims that software issues have forced the company to push back its HomeKit Internet of Things initiative, saying the first compatible devices are on schedule to launch in June.




Earlier today, Fortune reported that Apple would push an official HomeKit launch to fall after key software components "blew up." Apple subsequently debunked those claims in a statement provided to The Wall Street Journal.

"HomeKit [certification] has been available for just a few months and we already have dozens of partners who have committed to bringing HomeKit accessories to market and we're looking forward to the first ones coming next month," said Trudy Muller, an Apple spokesperson.

The HomeKit framework was unveiled as a future iOS product at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2014. The Apple-backed protocol lets iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners access and control to compliant connected home products and appliances, like light switches and thermostats.

Apple started accepting applications for device certification in November.

Along with Apple's strict quality assurance regulations, customers can expect unique features like the ability to issue voice commands to smart home hardware via the Siri virtual assistant.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:


     In response to a spurious Thursday report claiming Apple's HomeKit launch had been pushed back to August or September, the company said its Internet of Things initiative is on schedule to bear fruit in June.


     

    Yet, that didn't stop this website from re-publishing this spurious report before any type of confirmation. 

  • Reply 2 of 16
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    but...a rumor that something I'm not expecting is taking longer than expected is concerning. I am concerned. quality must be slipping. Jobs would never let software rumors slip. Yada, yada.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,080member

    I'm getting whiplash over here...

  • Reply 4 of 16
    leavingthebiggleavingthebigg Posts: 1,291member

    Like I wrote in the original article...

     

    You have to just love an exclusive that includes...

     

    To be clear, Apple has never announced a launch date for HomeKit, but partners had said during this year’s CES, the annual consumer electronics trade show, to expect something in spring. One partner had told Re/code to expect products in time for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

     

    And the story goes viral more as fact than fiction.

     

    It was very odd Fortune published the story while knowing both Broadcom and GE had recently announced products that worked with HomeKit. Hell, Broadcom announced hardware and SDK support for HomeKit earlier this week!

  • Reply 5 of 16
    Has Fortune found a way to get Apple to talk?
    I also didn't know what the release timeframe for HomeKit products was. Now we know.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    danielswdanielsw Posts: 906member
    What sordid dreary lives you chronic skeptics must lead.
  • Reply 7 of 16

    Insteon has a homekit hub all ready to go but they are waiting on apple. Maybe this means insteon is releasing the hub in june?

  • Reply 8 of 16
    gilly33gilly33 Posts: 433member
    Good for Apple. Sad the f$&king reports that always publish crap about stuff that Apple made no announcements about. First time I'm saying this shame on AI for running the first article in the first place.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    God, what a shitty website macrumors is. 

     

    http://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/14/homekit-launch-pushed-back/

     

    Not only did they report the original rumor as absolute FACT, but even when it was corrected, they leave the headline as is, and shove an "update" at the bottom of the article, to be sure not to lose out on angry clicks. 

     

    And as always, the author is Juli Clover, who has not ONCE reported a rumor as an actual rumor, but insists on defining them as factual statement in her shitty headlines. How the **** someone with so little journalistic integrity can have this job is beyond me. 

  • Reply 10 of 16
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    Apple needs to stop LYING and come clean about their DOOMED. (Also, need I add the /s at the end?) /s
  • Reply 11 of 16
    Insteon has a homekit hub all ready to go but they are waiting on apple. Maybe this means insteon is releasing the hub in june?

    I'm assuming the first announcements will come along at/during WWDC in June. Looking forward to what is ready. I have a sizable investment in Insteon but I'm using the UDI ISY994 and am waiting to see how they are going to integrate HomeKit.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Apple is obviously lying. Apple's "June" is everyone else's "Sept". /s
  • Reply 13 of 16
    theflythefly Posts: 72member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

     

    Yet, that didn't stop this website from re-publishing this spurious report before any type of confirmation. 




    Realize, the purpose of this website is to report the news about Apple.  Apple may have never replied or commented on the original story (because they never did in the past).  If you are expecting 100% verifiable news, you should only be reading Apple's PR site. 

  • Reply 14 of 16
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    I'm pretty excited about HomeKit. I can't wait to get my hands on it actually. I'm still expecting a HomeKit app where we will be able to build configurations for homes, rooms and scenes. The original setup will likely be a little tedious, building all those parameters, along with getting Siri, permissions, ?TV and remote login configured, but once that is done I'm sure it will be drop dead simple. Just turn on a new device and iOS will find it, ask you where it goes, which room or scene, then it will add the manufacturer's config utility to the HomeKit home screen. All just a guesses on my part, but I'm definitely going to integrate HomeKit into the new house that I'm building, so I'm anxious to learn more about it and get it into the plans.

  • Reply 15 of 16
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member

    you actually expect journalists to check facts, curious!

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