“With all the hoo-ha surrounding the launch of Apple’s new iPhones and Watch last week, another potentially massive bit of Apple news almost slipped under the radar,” John Archer writes for Forbes. “As reported by Forbes, Apple also apparently rolled out last week an update to its Apple TV boxes that enabled them to support the brand’s HomeKit app. And it seems to me this has the potential to be bigger news than any mere new phone generation.”
“The HomeKit app control app was introduced to Apple phones and tablets as part the recent iOS 8 update, but a key element seemed to be missing from the ecosystem: a device for bridging the ‘gap’ between domestic gadgets and your phones and tablets. Which is where the Apple TV box, with its integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, comes in,” Archer writes. “However, to me it’s also the point where Apple TV feels like just a fairly basic starting point in what could evolve into a much wider Apple home product range that could – arguably even should – include a TV set.”
“Despite all this, prior to the revelation about HomeKit being sneaked into the Apple TV box the many rumours about Apple working on a TV have seldom if ever sounded convincing,” Archer writes. “The arrival of HomeKit onto the Apple TV box, though, changes everything in an instant. It proves that Apple is no longer just about making conduits that simplify your access to the computer and online worlds. Rather than keeping the home at arm’s length, Apple now seems to want to get deeply involved in almost every corner of your house and almost every part of your domestic life. And if it’s going to do that, then it seems to me that it may want to provide a new focal point for its efforts.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
Related article:
Apple TV gets HomeKit support, now armed and ready to be the hub for the smart home – September 22, 2014