Homeowners can finally begin purchasing smart home products that run on Apple’s HomeKit, a smartphone platform that lets users control devices from iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, news outlets are reporting.
Products that go on sale today include lighting kits and a hub for a smart home system, according to The Verge. Devices that ship in July, The Verge reported, include a smart thermostat, a power outlet, and home sensors that can measure air quality, weather and energy use.
Homeowners can control products compatible with HomeKit through apps and Apple’s voice-command system, Siri.
The iHome SmartPlug will be available for preorder on June 15. Photo courtesy of BusinessWire.
The rollout of the products comes a year after Apple announced HomeKit, a smart home system that enables third-party devices to communicate with each other.
HomeKit will likely make a significant contribution to the infrastructure underlying the “Internet of Things,” a phrase that refers to a network of devices connected to each other through the Internet.
The Internet of Things is expected to explode in the coming years. The International Data Corporation predicts that the Internet of Things market will grow to $1.7 trillion in 2020 from $655.8 billion 2014, according to International Data Corporation, a provider of technology intelligence.
Another example of a device that hooks into the Internet of Things would be smart furniture that’s been developed jointly by two South Korean firms.
Each piece of the furniture has built-in touch screens that can replicate the display of a person’s smartphone and let users make and receive phone calls, open doors and listen to the radio.