HomeKit-compatible Smart Shades starting gradual roll-out at Ikea

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• Reply 1 of 7

  gatorguy Posts: 24,731member

  January 7, 2019 2:10PM

  Apple themselves is appearing at CES this year for all intents, partnering with various companies for joint PR and promotion. Is that out-of-character for Apple in recent years? If so it seems to me like more evidence of embracing the Amazon and Google model for expanding their footprint. 

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• Reply 2 of 7

  radarthekat Posts: 3,938moderator

  January 7, 2019 2:30PM

  gatorguy said:

  Apple themselves is appearing at CES this year for all intents, partnering with various companies for joint PR and promotion. Is that out-of-character for Apple in recent years? If so it seems to me like more evidence of embracing the Amazon and Google model for expanding their footprint. 

  I hope they are making their presence more directly visible at CES.  It’s a big world and Apple [iOS] is now the de facto standard in the premium consumer electronics space.  They should be actively promoting integration, not just partnering with companies that wish to prefix their product categories with ‘smart,’ but also evangelizing the concept of a smarter physical world directly to consumers.  That’s marketing that Google and Amazon certainly have done better, and more of, versus Apple. 

  edited January 2019

  

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• Reply 3 of 7

  gatorguy Posts: 24,731member

  January 7, 2019 2:47PM

  radarthekat said:

  gatorguy said:

  Apple themselves is appearing at CES this year for all intents, partnering with various companies for joint PR and promotion. Is that out-of-character for Apple in recent years? If so it seems to me like more evidence of embracing the Amazon and Google model for expanding their footprint. 

  I hope they are making their presence more directly visible at CES.... evangelizing the concept of a smarter physical world directly to consumers.  That’s marketing that Google and Amazon certainly have done better, and more of, versus Apple. 

  https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/google-ces-2019/
  More of yes, but vs. Apple?
  
  IMO Apple has done a horrid job at evangelizing their concept. At least until a change in tactics quite recently Apple's ideas for a "smarter physical world" have been stuck in mud and not even in the conversation for most folks. It's been an Amazon/Google duopoly with both doing much better than Apple at promoting, explaining and integrating 3rd party devices in their ecosystems. That doesn't mean that a slower-to-adapt-their-vision Apple won't be equally effective as those two in the near future. It's so early in the smart-home market that there's no reason Apple would be left out in the cold. As you say they are perceived as a more premium experience in general, and have a rabid fan base.

  edited January 2019

  

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• Reply 4 of 7

  radarthekat Posts: 3,938moderator

  January 7, 2019 3:57PM

  gatorguy said:

  radarthekat said:

  gatorguy said:

  Apple themselves is appearing at CES this year for all intents, partnering with various companies for joint PR and promotion. Is that out-of-character for Apple in recent years? If so it seems to me like more evidence of embracing the Amazon and Google model for expanding their footprint. 

  I hope they are making their presence more directly visible at CES.... evangelizing the concept of a smarter physical world directly to consumers.  That’s marketing that Google and Amazon certainly have done better, and more of, versus Apple. 

  https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/google-ces-2019/
  More of yes, but vs. Apple?
  
  IMO Apple has done a horrid job at evangelizing their concept. At least until a change in tactics quite recently Apple's ideas for a "smarter physical world" have been stuck in mud and not even in the conversation for most folks. It's been an Amazon/Google duopoly with both doing much better than Apple at promoting, explaining and integrating 3rd party devices in their ecosystems. That doesn't mean that a slower-to-adapt-their-vision Apple won't be equally effective as those two in the near future. It's so early in the smart-home market that there's no reason Apple would be left out in the cold. As you say they are perceived as a more premium experience in general, and have a rabid fan base.

  Yes, agreed.  Oh, and I used the word ‘versus’ to mean ‘compared with’ not as Google versus Apple in some kind of war.  As in, Google.com receives a lot more search requests versus Bing.  (As compared to the number Bing receives.)

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• Reply 5 of 7

  gatorguy Posts: 24,731member

  January 7, 2019 4:03PM

  radarthekat said:

  gatorguy said:

  radarthekat said:

  gatorguy said:

  Apple themselves is appearing at CES this year for all intents, partnering with various companies for joint PR and promotion. Is that out-of-character for Apple in recent years? If so it seems to me like more evidence of embracing the Amazon and Google model for expanding their footprint. 

  I hope they are making their presence more directly visible at CES.... evangelizing the concept of a smarter physical world directly to consumers.  That’s marketing that Google and Amazon certainly have done better, and more of, versus Apple. 

  https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/google-ces-2019/
  More of yes, but vs. Apple?
  
  IMO Apple has done a horrid job at evangelizing their concept. At least until a change in tactics quite recently Apple's ideas for a "smarter physical world" have been stuck in mud and not even in the conversation for most folks. It's been an Amazon/Google duopoly with both doing much better than Apple at promoting, explaining and integrating 3rd party devices in their ecosystems. That doesn't mean that a slower-to-adapt-their-vision Apple won't be equally effective as those two in the near future. It's so early in the smart-home market that there's no reason Apple would be left out in the cold. As you say they are perceived as a more premium experience in general, and have a rabid fan base.

  Yes, agreed.  Oh, and I used the word ‘versus’ to mean ‘compared with’ not as Google versus Apple in some kind of war.  As in, Google.com receives a lot more search requests versus Bing.  (As compared to the number Bing receives.)

  Ah, gotcha...
  
  

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• Reply 6 of 7

  strangedays Posts: 13,171member

  January 7, 2019 10:54PM

  I cannot imagine what people are talking about by suggesting Apple has done a horrid job with HomeKit, since it's an optional API framework for product builders to use, and one which has filled my house with useful devices...and operating more securely than the other platform brands. In fact, the only device I have that doesn't offer HK is one made by none other than Google -- the Nest, where they have willfully decided not to implement HK, likely in an attempt to destabilize Apple's ecosystem, regardless of how entirely user-hostile this is. We are reminded who butters Google's bread -- advertisers, and rarely end-users. They make so little from hardware they simply don't need to care about building good hardware for end-users.
  
  Anyway, the shades are a welcome addition to the HK landscape... The current crop by the leading blinds company are outrageously expensive -- $600+ a window in my home. Non-starter. Hopefully Ikea's will make this more approachable. Bummer about needing a bridge tho. 

  edited January 2019

  

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• Reply 7 of 7

  sflocal Posts: 6,160member

  June 12, 2019 9:32PM

  I recently installed a Homekit-compatible ceiling fan (my first HK device) and am absolutely sold on the idea.  We were looking to replace our worn our blinds with electric versions and now that this HK-compatible product is in the pipeline, that's next in line.

  
  

  Homekit still has a few rough edges which I think is more the fault of the vendor than Apple, but I'm looking forward to automating my 1890's Victorian house even more!

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