Dive Brief:
- Apple is set to release a new app that will let consumers control all of the different connected appliances in their household.
- Details of the app are yet to be revealed. The company will announce the app when it holds its annual conference next week in San Francisco.
- A "select number" of smart device makers, such as thermostat manufacturers, will be certified to offer products that will use the Apple platform, much in the same vein as the company's "Made for iPhone" certification.
Dive Insight:
The app comes hot on the heels of Google's acquisition of smart thermostat-maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.
Long on the horizon, smart home technology may finally become more prominent in the coming years as utilities seek to help customers manage their electricity usage. If successful, the app could offer utilities a ready-made platform to encourage energy efficiency in the home. An iPhone accessible app with a range of select services could reduce utility expenditures, and gives them a ready-made wide customer base to work with.
This is not the first foray Apple has made into the smart home. In 2012, it filed a patent for a network to connect various electric appliances, including lighting and home security, but competition from the home security service industry seemed to stymie the company's efforts.
