During the Worldwide Developers Conference this week, Apple released more detail about HomeKit – software that allows smart home products to be compatible with iOS devices. Samantha Murphy Kelly for Mashable reports how select new home builders, including Lennar, will leverage HomeKit to bring a whole new level of smart home technology to homebuyers.
New homebuyers today have many things to choose from: wood floors or tile, granite or stainless steel countertops, central air or window units. But later this year, you’ll be able to decide if you want to make your space a fully Apple-supported smart home, built from the ground up.
Tucked into Apple’s two-hour-long new product presentation at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this week was a blink-and-you-missed-it tidbit that hinted largely at where the smart home industry is headed. In fact, three home builders — Brookfield Residential, Lennar and KB Home — are now committed to building homes later this year that come with built-in Apple HomeKit infrastructure.
HomeKit is Apple’s software framework that smart gadget builders use to make their devices iOS-compatible. For customers, the label means the device (say, a smart light bulb) will work seamlessly with the iPhone and Siri.
For homebuilders, though, HomeKit bestows confidence that a set of devices will work within a specific platform. With that knowledge, rather than the owner adding smart home gadgets such as automated locks, cameras, blinds, thermostats and air quality monitors to a home piece by piece, homebuilders can install the devices before you move in and make sure the infrastructure is equipped to handle them.
“The framework is already in place through the product manufacturers, who have included wireless capabilities in their products for years,” David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Ventures, which builds homes in 20 states, told Mashable. “So we’re closely working with a handful of manufacturers — such as Schlage (door locks), Honeywell (security and thermostat) and Lutron (lighting) — who have made the decision to have their products also work with HomeKit. By installing smart products as part of our homes during construction, we are making home automation a reality for many who have been intrigued by it but haven’t been able (or willing) to retrofit on their own.
Read the full article: You’ll soon be able to buy a HomeKit-powered ‘Apple House’
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