TWICE: Did Apple’s HomeKit technology bring anything new to home automation? Describe its potential impact on the market.
Brad Hintze, C4: Not just yet beyond the fact that a behemoth brand has entered the space. No one really knows what HomeKit will really be in the big picture. It has made life a little harder for certain manufacturers who need to rev products to achieve compatibility, and it could easily force obsolescence by way of MFi (Made For iPhone). Apple, for better or worse, is the posterchild for proprietary ecosystem, and to our point earlier, consumers often lose in a battle like that.
Tom Kerber, Parks: Absolutely! Apple HomeKit is disruptive because it provides a framework for app developers to engage in the smart home like never before. Unleashing the app developer army on the smart home creates a formidable force in the market. Also, because HomeKit provides app developers with a seamless approach to integrating with Siri, the platform itself radically simplifies and transforms the user experience.
Joe Gerber, Insteon: As one of Apple HomeKit’s first partners, we saw a clear advantage to being a part of the HomeKit protocol. Apple has a record of doing things well, and it also has a large fan base of individuals who trust and adore the company’s product and services. We’re really ex- cited to offer an integrated system for Insteon customers who use Apple products and want to incorporate Apple HomeKit-enabled devices into their homes.
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