So, not unlike every other category in the tech space, battle lines are now being drawn in the "smart home" market. We already knew about Google's interest here with the purchase of Nest last year and now Apple is allegedly toying with developing a standard for smart home automation based around iOS.
It appears as though we may be finally entering the fast lane in the Internet of Things (IoT) world we've heard so much about the last few years.
For those of you that are feeling a bit left out of all this IoT talk, perhaps a quick primer is in order. The IoT is all about the next generation of connected homes and cars, smart grids and even smart medical devices. Among the major players that are predicting big things in this market is Cisco, which recently claimed that the number of connected devices will reach 50 billion by 2020.
The smart home space that Apple is looking to make a play in is one of the larger components of the IoT, so you can expect all the major players to be grabbing for a piece of this pie as the category evolves. Apple's potential foray into this category appears to be a no-brainer as iOS is already in many homes. Instead of each manufacturer in the IoT space having to roll out its own iOS solution, Apple's thinking may just be to offer up its system to these players to be custom-tailored however they choose.
Think CarPlay on a larger scale. Users are already unlocking their car, listening and replying to messages, finding the fastest route home and streaming their favorite tunes while they drive. So why not take that concept a few steps further by having that same tech get dinner started, turn up the thermostat, queue your favorite song on your sound system and yes, the venerable smart fridge might even be prompted to offer up a special custom recipe for dinner that night.
According to a recent online report, Apple will announce its "smart home" plans at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, which will start on June 2.
"Apple plans to show off a software platform that would turn the iPhone into a remote control for lights, security systems and other household appliances," the report states. "Apple's home automation solution will reportedly work with Apple TV (in addition to the iPhone/iPad), and do things such as allow a home's lights to "automatically come on when the owner enters the house, using their iPhone to wirelessly signal their arrival." The company is said to be talking with OEMs to certify their products.
While we're sure to see many companies come and go as the IoT market evolves, one thing is certain, the market will be massive. A new report from IB Intelligence claims that since the IoT will include such a thick layer of consumer devices constantly communicating with each other it will account for an increasingly huge number of connections as it evolves.
The report adds that there are already some 1.9 billion devices in place today and that number will grow to over 9 billion by 2018. The report adds that this number will eclipse the total number of smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, wearable devices and PCs combined.
