Apple to unveil smart home platform at WWDC 2014

May 28, 2014

Apple seems to be planning a foray into your home. According to a report by Financial Times, the company will announce its smart home platform at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on June 12, 2014.

The report claims that this home automation system will turn on lights of the building automatically when a user carrying a paired iPhone enters. There is no word on other possible features; the report says that Apple has not finalized all the features yet and more may be added after the official announcement.

Apple will allow third-party developers to create products for its smart home platform. It will also conduct quality checks and set privacy limitations on all the products made by these developers, similar to the company's Made for iPhone programme. This will help the company counter any security fears that consumers may have.

It is not yet clear which technology will allow iPhones to pair with the automation function of the smart home platform. If Apple expands iBeacon technology for this purpose, then most older iPhones and iPads (iPhone 5S, 5, 5C and 4S, New iPad, New iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display and fifth-generation iPod touch) will be compatible with the home automation system.

However, a likelier candidate is NFC, a technology common among Android and Windows Phone devices but still missing in Apple gadgets. There have also been rumours of iPhone 6 featuring NFC. However, most of these suggested Apple using the technology to enter mobile payments market, not connected homes.

If NFC is used to pair homes with iPhones, then older devices like iPhone 5S and iPad Air will not be compatible and users will have to upgrade to newer models.

The report comes on the day when reports of Google acquiring connected camera startup Dropcam has emerged.

Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA