“On Tuesday after the close, it was announced that Amazon.com, Inc. will buy Ring, the home security doorbell company, for more than $1 billion,” Bret Kenwell writes for TheStreet. “Amazon shares are up $10 apiece, or 0.66%, to $1,522 in midday trading Wednesday, as investors are reacting positively to Amazon’s further implementation into the ‘smart house’ theme.”
“In fact, its ascent is noteworthy when considering what Apple Inc. could have done in the same space,” Kenwell writes. Amazon’s “Echo is capable of integrating tons of different services, from voice-controlled temperature control, light dimming and TV navigation, among others. Amazon’s purchase of Ring will only add to those capabilities.”
Kenwell writes, “This seems like one market — given its iPad, iPhone, iCloud, iTunes, HomeKit and wearable products — [Apple] could dominate in, if it chose to get more involved. For now, though, it seems like Amazon is more focused on doing so.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: History is replete with those who’ve grossly underestimated Apple.
SEE ALSO:
Here are the best HomeKit-enabled smart home products announced at CES 2018 – January 11, 2018
Massive HomeKit improvements in iOS 11 include faster switching and much more powerful automation – September 20, 2017
Apple wants to get inside your house before it’s built – October 19, 2016
Not impressed with HomeKit thus far. My leviton switches keep loosing connectivity and the compatible HomeKit products just don’t seem to be there.
Did you ever once think that the issue is your switch or your router not Homekit, probably not, that would require thought…
Router was probably there first. Burden to work is on HomeKit. But that requires objectivity.
HomeKit is flaky at times, but getting better.
I wish we could use a Mac at home as the hub rather than justas Apple TV or old iPad. Many of us have Mac desktops that could do this easily in the background.
I’m quite impressed with HomeKit thus far. For example: I’m 2000 miles from home, where I set up my first HomePod, which automatically took over as primary HomeKit controller. My faraway Apple TV automatically became a standby. A Siri command to the local HomePod executes instantly at home, 2000 miles away.
limitations in the zigbee network that powers things like Phillips HUE smart lights seem quaint and old fashioned.
The whole protocol for smart homes seems ripe for innovation.
The sort of thing Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple, invented the iPhone, have you heard of him?) would say “this sucks, we can do better”
There was a time when Apple sought out strong partners to help it move the industry forward. But now Apple can’t seem to go anywhere new, any more. They don’t engage and don’t partner. Homekit had such a future and should have been where Alexa is now, but now the strongest potential Apple partners are getting picked off by Amazon and Google. And MDN acts like it thinks Apple is going to make smart locks, smart lights, garage door openers, etc. on their own.
Hey, Siri! What’s Apple doing to move things forward these days? *** “I don’t understand the question.”
`sucess breads complacency… complacency leads to failure…
the paranoid survive….
One of Apples biggest complacences : Siri ….. Poor ai implementation from the very fundimental areas of spell check to contextual understanding …. to SIRI ! throughout the ecosys .
Siri comes across so stupid when compared to the competition.. That is not acceptable in any shape or form.
Another one; Apple TV.. fragmented ui mess of apps with no centralization… very sloppy … Imo
Success breads schnitzel, and maybe Japanese tempura, Yojimbo. But don’t worry bro, we still got faith in ya 🙂
Enjoy the “weiner”……. thanks for the faith .. 🙂
Apple will never sell one million phones. never in a million years. they are new to the market and have no experience…blah, blah, blah, blah.
We will wait and see what is actually possible. When it is done right.
Except that Apple isn’t entering markets. It’s testing waters and then leaving them. Or doing a half-assed job or telling us “coming soon…any day now…end of the year…sometime next year…”
Apple iLife Apps – withering or worse (looking at you Photos – god what an unholy buggy mess compared to even iPhoto).
Apple car – CarPlay is poorly implemented by its partners, still missing that ease of use. Still easier/safer to find media on my phone while driving than dig around on the car’s display screen.
Apple display – sorely missed, but here, buy someone else’s.
Apple desktop headless computers, esp. pro and prosumer
Apple servers – castration continues
Apple television – I get it, but its streaming device isn’t all that user-friendly, and takes too long to add features the competition enjoys. And that remote?
Homepod? Sounds great. Doesn’t play well with others (including itself, yet).
Apple is too busy going Hollywood…
Google, Amazon and Apple even if they all sell smart speakers that have home automation capabilities are each playing in a different market than the other two. Comparing them against each other really serves no purpose other than polarization towards one brand or another. Google – Provide access to “All the information in the world” and continue getting ‘smarter’ in the process; Amazon – Be THE store for Everything; Apple – Produce the best products to lock users into the Apple ecosystem.
Just left a Best Buy about an hour ago. Lots of stuff that works with Alexa- not much that works with HomeKit. I say that as someone who uses HomeKit (Elgato Eve).
I am about ready to dump Tim Cook’s pipeline on home automation.
What are the Fanbois going to do when Amazon passes Apple in market cap?
Collect a dividend and actually make a profit….
Steve Jobs didn’t pay dividends.
One thing you could count on at the shareholder meetings was some random person asking about a dividend. Steve would reply that it was his job to drive up the share price to make shareholders money.
Who cares about market cap? Apple actually intentionally reduces its market cap by billions every year by buying and de-commisioning billions of dollars worth of its own shares.
The justification for buybacks is to supposedly push the stock price up. If they are buying up stocks to no effect it is not much different than throwing it in the trash.
This Amazon Echo Spot is very well done and can be connected to the speaker of your choice. It also does not cost $350 and look like a roll of toilet paper in fishnet hose.
Apple Market Cap: 905. 41B for Feb. 28, 2018
Amazon.com Market Cap :732.45B for Feb. 28, 2018
No comment needed at this time.
Or come to think about it, how much of Amazon’s market cap is accounted for my products where it competes directly with AAPL?
Considering that less than 2 months ago AMZN was more than $300B behind AAPL it’s possible AMZN passes AAPL by the end of the year.
Stay Tuned.
Apple is a One Trick Pony. They sell iPhones & apparently do not give a shit about the Mac anymore.
Wake me up when I can use my Mac as an Apple TV, when Home Kit and HealthKit work with my Mac.
About a month ago, I bought 2 LED bulbs that connect directly to wifi, no hub required. $15 each. Multiple colors with dimming, comes with app, works on Internet (away from home) and links through echo dot. Works excellent. Turn on and off, change colors and dim with Alexa. for $30. How can you beat that?
I’ll tell you how to beat that: guarantee it isn’t constantly sending data to Amazon, unsecured. Most home automation stuff does, making you a fun but relatively easy profile hacking challenge. You want someone else to know whenever you are home or away?
There is ZERO possibility I would go anywhere near HOMEKIT. Clearly another Apple hobby that will be dropped. Tim Cook is just a buffoon and thinks apple is only a phone company. Apple should pick a partner and move forward. Homekit is dead before it began.
Top 10 Hot Tubs 2017 ADs everywhere!
HELP
How many years has HomeKit been out? The products you can buy are still few and far between. I ordered several “Koogeek” smartplugs directly from China because I didn’t want to pay $75 per plug (EU model). We’ll see how well they work. Would it kill Apple to have a few of their own basic, well-made products like smart plugs or an air-quality meter, instead of relying on 3rd-parties ?