Apple is a huge company, with people everywhere using its computer, phones, tablets, voice-activated software, and so much more. But while it has tried to capitalise on that fame and wide-spread love of their technology, the company’s attempts to break into home automation are almost dead on arrival.
Unlike other forms of home automation which are capitalising on the new and improved forms of technology which exist, Apple has managed to create something which does not the job it’s supposed to do, rendering it something of a disappointment. Home automation has taken great strides since its initial outing as the means of providing TV drop down lifts to people to who needed extra space in their living rooms.
TV drop down lifts and chair lifts are two areas of home automation which were particularly popular because they helped people to have both space and appliances at the same time.
Siri
While there is a lot of voice automation out there right now, Siri could arguably have been said to have been the first. However, where voice commands and automation is getting better and better the more it is used, and the more features it is given, Siri appears to be moving backwards – it has its features, yes, but there are more and more problems with it and its ability to function, particularly as it is brought into a more encompassing home automation supportive role.
Homekit Support
Homekit has existed in various iterations for more than a year now, but products and services to actually support its installation and running are still very thin on the ground. Reasons for this range from Apple’s expensive licensing fees to its incredibly coding protocols, both of which limit the number of products that can actually be produced from anywhere other than the core company.
Whatever the reasons are, it means that support products are so far only made by Apple, and that they only support Apple products. The end result is that, of all the home automation on the market, people can only use the small part of it which is supported by Homekit.
Updates Come too Slowly
Most of us know from our experiences with Apple tablets and phones that they only update their software once a year at the most. While this is something which is easy to handle when it is just a phone – we use our mobile devices for a lot of tasks, but they are still just phones – for home automation things might be different. An update schedule which can be measured in years is something might be tolerable in some situations, but the need for updates in home automation is much greater. Updates for fixes and patches will be needed almost instantly, to say nothing of the need for updates to give greater functionality.
Apple Doesn’t Play Nice
A huge part of home automation is being able to mix and match pieces and equipment to fit the ideas that you have for your home and lifestyle. Apple, however, doesn’t like this approach, and wants its customers to use its own products for everything, from robots to controlling actuators. This is a problem because of Apple’s limited use of home automation, meaning that people who use it can only use a limited amount of automation themselves.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
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