Apple announces Homekit - Threat or Opportunity?

[ajgaspard]

Apple announced "Homekit" which is a common network protocol that will let users control their smart locks, lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs, and switches from one app with secure pairing to ensure only your iOS device works.

 

I think this would be great for the Home Automation industry because it will bring basic control to end users...so when they decide to step up, we could sell them Control4.

 

What do you guys think? Threat or opportunity??

[wappinghigh]

^ My 2 cents? Well, Control4 should have done something like this years ago... 

 

In many ways, they were way ahead of Apple and the HA field in general. Way ahead and dynamic.....

 

Their wonderful platform has had this capability and similar potential for ages...

 

But they locked distribution down. And have relied too heavily and too long on pretty much entire third party driver development... that is basically dealer based. And dealers think and have different interests from end users. So there becomes a kind of "disconnect". Seems to me, there should be way more end user focused in-house R&D. A while back, in my opinion, they made a *huge* error in judgement going with Flash. So the product continues to suffer.....

 

Development and innovation seems to have ground to a hault, and alas the product from a long time users perspective seems tired and boring even.... 

 

It's not that I don't still love this product, I do. It's great. It just seems stagnant. Maybe stagnant is good in HA once in a while... I don't know... 

 

But it's not like others as well around here haven't been telling them these sorts of things.

 

We have been trying to give them a "heads up" on this for quite some time.....

[digitaltrader]

^ My 2 cents? Well, Control4 should have done something like this years ago... 

 

In many ways, they were way ahead of Apple and the HA field in general. Way ahead and dynamic.....

 

Their wonderful platform has had this capability and similar potential for ages...

 

But they locked distribution down. And have relied too heavily and too long on pretty much entire third party driver development... that is basically dealer based. And dealers think and have different interests from end users. So there becomes a kind of "disconnect". Seems to me, there should be way more end user focused in-house R&D. A while back, in my opinion, they made a *huge* error in judgement going with Flash. So the product continues to suffer.....

 

Development and innovation seems to have ground to a hault, and alas the product from a long time users perspective seems tired and boring even.... 

 

It's not that I don't still love this product, I do. It's great. It just seems stagnant. Maybe stagnant is good in HA once in a while... I don't know... 

 

But it's not like others as well around here haven't been telling them these sorts of things.

 

We have been trying to give them a "heads up" on this for quite some time.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very well said....I agree 100%.

[digitaltrader]

The few vocal end users that care have been offering suggestions on innovation we would like to see.  I like the product and am heavily invested in the eco system.  If I was starting today however, I would be willing to wait to see how the apple presence in HA plays out before making any immediate decisions.  Innovation that can be seen by the end user within C4 has been lacking for several years now.

[mstafford388]

It doesn't seem like a threat to Control4 to me.  It honestly doesn't sound much different than what cable companies have begun to do, although I'm sure Apple will make it a cleaner/easier experience for the end user.  Control4 just couldn't handle the tech support required to end users if they launched a similar product.  

[ajgaspard]

I personally think this would translate in more opportunities for us in the short and maybe mid term.

 

This kind of moves by Tech Giants would basically create more awareness among consumers, and most, will go to with the simpler ecosystem supplied by Apple and third parties for now, leaving some consumers looking for a more ample & robust solution like C4 ...

 

C4 needs to improve fast because Apple is no small dog and they can catch up quickly.

 

My 2 cents.

[zaphod]

A threat to C4.  I currently own the following web-connected devices that are not integrated into C4:  Hue lighting, IrrigationCaddy, Hunter Douglas Platinum Blinds/Bridge and 3 Harmony SmartRemotes.  The price of drivers is often very high compared to the benefit, especially when the existing, albeit standalone, apps for these devices are pretty good.  If Apple can do the integration and you can control it with Siri then I will start using C4 less and less for any new automation.  Pair an Apple TV with a Harmony SmartRemote Hub and you get pretty much the AV control that C4 offers you and a UI for controlling it on the ATV and your phone/tablet and a world of content available via ATV.

 

You can already do some pretty cool stuff with IFTTT like controlling your Hue lights when you come home.  Hue light bulbs may seem expensive but compare them to the price of C4 dimmers all over your house and you get the benefit of low energy usage from LEDs.

 

And as someone with more of a DIY interest I would hope that Apple makes it easy to integrate stuff form open projects, like stuff from a RPi or Arduino.

 

If I knew about the OpenSprinkler Pi before I bought my IrrigationCaddy then I would have bought it instead.

[qVAMPIREp]

I'd say C4 just got an ice pick stuck into the base of its skull!

[wappinghigh]

^Yes. Wake up C4. The White Walkers are coming... it's about time you started offering end users a few "sacrificial" babies....

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[alanchow]

From my understanding it will be unified under a singular app plus integration to siri. I see this as apple's attempt to take on technology such as UPnP (think Belkin's WeMo app and devices).  For most people this will be a great introduction to home automation.  Having said that though it'll be more like a universal remote for your home rather than a more automated experience. Either way i think this is a great step forward for mass market home automation especially in terms of a unified protocol for devices.  Home Kit actually falls inline with what apple does best.  Keeping it simple.  By elimating complexities of a always on hub and by making an app that talks to devices 1 to 1 they can ensure that it will always work with little to no tech experience required.  Basically this is a apple's expansion of what Belkin does with its WeMo app.

 

Hopefully this protocol will be available for integration with other non Apple systems such as Control4, Crestron, AMX, Savant, etc.  This will make integration to products extremely easily.  It will also mean alot more products that are more affordable.

 

Will it eliminate Control4 and other existing automation systems? Heck no.  Will it make people understand what home automation is so that i don't need to explain what i do for a living? YES!

[dogdvr]

I'd say C4 just got an ice pick stuck into the base of its skull!

yeeeaaaah, that's the ticket, lol

[wappinghigh]

Either way, it can't be "more of the same" from Control4 though Alan. Surely not !

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[chesterwilson]

Neither.  

 

Apple going for the low end of HA, lower cost less complicated integration (affordable to the masses).

 

C4 at the top end, higher cost (albeit less than it's competitors, but very niche).

 

If I were a CTRL shareholder I'd be pretty pissed because the major growth is going to be driven by the less complicated DIY integration.  Sure there will be some more business and exposure in the higher end market but no where near what the current stock price has priced in.  

 

As I've said in the past if you are a shareholder in CTRL you are banking on a takeover.  Nothing to this day leads me to believe that management is competent enough to transform or significantly grow it's business model. 

[zaphod]

I don't now that you can say that Apple is going for the low end.  Look at products like the Nest thermostat.  It works with C4 but if it works in Apple's unified app then that is likely good enough for most people.  Add in some simple programming, though something like an IFTTT recipe and you are good to go.  Now dealer, no $1000 controller no 4Sight sub to get an email that your house is too cold.

[Gary Leeds UK]

Apple will bring (Should be able to) HA to the masses.

 

C4 now need to work out if they wish to ride this wave and open up there business model to end users (Com Pro Licence etc). 

 

Or do they just sit on there hands and hope someone buys them or believe that high end user would like to move

to all singing  all dancing HA system like C4. 

[wappinghigh]

People might think the Apple HA product just announced is "just for the low end"..or "just for the masses"... I wouldn't be so sure about that. What we see now is just the tip of the iceberg I'd reckon.. When it takes off: with everything open source and hundreds and thousands upon hundreds of thousands of apps and drivers being written for it by all those Millions of Apple programming nut's, what makes everyone think it will not be able to cope with *everything* Control4 does right now (and some) AND even compete with *all* HA systems available. High end as well. ?? ... I mean guys. Get your Ostrich heads out of the sand... 

[wappinghigh]

I mean you are talking flee vs elephant stuff here guys..

 

Control4 market cap = 413 Million.

Apple market cap = 541 BILLION (over 1000x bigger)

 

Is not Homekit a brand new SDK? A new communication/network standard? As significant as OSX or iOS was when they were launched. Apple won't be fooling people around with this.. When Apple gets serious about this, and there is no indication they aren't already: The amount of capital and R&D Apple could potentially throw at this is massive.. Bottomless if you think about it.. Apple could spend the entire current market cap of Control4 on this new venture right now, blow the lot, and it wouldn't even be noticed in their end of FY statement at all. It would be a mere unnoticeable blip of a entry on page 191 or whatever ... the markets would yawn....nobody in the financial world would even care.. I'd be surprised if the ticker AAPL would move one bee's dick of a buy/sell spread..  Just sayin... 

[wappinghigh]

So who are we kidding around here on this miniscule forum? Why would Apple even consider "taking over" Control4? In any case: Who else is going to now ??  If anybody thought it would help their HA cause, they would have done it already..... Thinking about it in the cold hard light of day, I'm kind of getting depressed about the future of our wonderful platform. I sure hope I'm wrong.. but who in their right mind would throw huge amounts of capital into C4 R&D now? (particularly with it's current development and distribution model)??? 

[SMHarman]

Who, well your Control4 and Crestron type customers will still exist. Cash rich time poor.

Apple customers will still find implementation is hard and expensive needing widgets they had nit thought of to join the dots.

This opens the Market an EV or Chow will build a gateway.

Only if the dealers lose faith and the ability to sell c4 as a solution will there be a problem.

Alarm companies did not go away with HA

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[Mark LaBelle]

HUGE THREAT!  

 

This is what I was talking about when the thread I posted about the Internet of Things and giving Composer Pro to end users (or at least access) blew up to high heaven.  Control4 is so slow to the draw here....  While Control4 allows you to use existing products to integrate a home, just think of all these partners that will scrambling to put a zigbee chip in their products to allow the iHome to control it.  Then it's easy as pie , end user defined, "if this then that" crap.  When I get home based on Geofencing open my Chamberlain Garage door with Zigbee chip, turn on my Cree lights with a Zigbee chip in the living room, turn on my Panasonic LED TV with Zigbee Chip, change the channel on the Roku, change the color of the lights to Purple, etc., etc.  There will be a scheduler for activities to kick off on a timer, etc.  I'm sure they will have IR and Harmony will be part of this too.  Using Siri is just icing....

 

This is BOON to Apple - they get licensing from all their device partners and all these lemmings will go out and purchase over time all of these devices and integrate them.  They have a 90 billion dollar ecosystem built around their Tablets and Phones.

 

I'm a loyal Control4 customer, but let's get real here - this isn't difficult stuff IF you have the ecosystem and a lot of cash.  There are already so many Internet Enabled Devices and it's gets larger by the minute.  

 

To address the complexity of Home Automation - let's face it - if the devices are already iHome ready, why would you have complexity?  No need for an Apple Genius to "walk you through home automation" no more than walking you through setting up a printer that is wireless.  Plug in the printer and look for it in the Add Devices area.  Home automation is no different.  Plug the cree light in and it appears in your interface and is available for you to define when and what it does.  The complexity only comes in with legacy products or products that aren't "integrated".  This can go on and on, but think of it - dishwashers, refrigerators, washers, dryers, projectors, microwaves, waffle maker, popcorn machines, irrigation, security, lights (especially RGB LED's), landscape lighting, and so on....   You will build your Connected Home over time, which is what Apple will bet on.  The 20 year old's will eat this stuff up and in 10 years -  home automation is commonplace and Control4, Crestron, etc. are all out of business except for servicing their existing customer base, as it dies a slow death.  

 

The saddest part of this, is that Microsoft had all this embedded stuff years ago and couldn't get it right.  Admittedly, the market had to mature, but they didn't make the right investments at the time and they certainly don't have the ecosystem that Apple has built.  Control4 was on it's way with the Pioneer Receivers being Control4 ready - but they just don't have the market muscle to go out and get people jumping on as quickly as Apple does.

 

Trust me - I hate Apple, but this will succeed and even the "dumb as rocks" will have DIY, self-sufficient, Home Automation.  I hate to say it, but at that point I would see nothing that Control4 would give me that Apple wouldn't already have.  

 

I hope that Google has something up it's sleeve - they didn't spend 3.2B for a thermostat.  

[Gary Leeds UK]

Who, well your Control4 and Crestron type customers will still exist. Cash rich time poor.

Apple customers will still find implementation is hard and expensive needing widgets they had nit thought of to join the dots.

This opens the Market an EV or Chow will build a gateway.

Only if the dealers lose faith and the ability to sell c4 as a solution will there be a problem.

Alarm companies did not go away with HA

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How many will still exist ??

 

Only if end users lose faith in Control 4, will it be a problem. 

 

The dealer needs end users, end users will have options on what HA system to use. 

 

They will pay a "Apple dealer" or Computer guy to set the system up after buying all the kit himself. 

 

Dealers need to remember that end users pay for the equipment and Apple sounds a lot better than C4, Creston, AMX ETC. 

[SMHarman]

I dunno. Will be interesting to see this play out though.

Apple solutions, like any solution will need to be highly robust, no regular reboots or crashes.

Easy programming and ease of interconnectivity, the plumbing that composer pro has Will need to be easy, easy easy.

Secure. The recent Apple ssl error highlights the importance of that.

I still see a world of apps instead of control 4 single app world.

Maybe the 20 somethings will lap that up, but you have much of that now.

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[zaphod]

You don't necessarily need Zigbee. All you need is a connection to your LAN and a lot of stuff today does this via wifi or wired internet - like many TVs, AVRs, all game consoles, MyQ garage door system, IrrigationCaddy, Hue or Cree lighting, etc.

[RAV]

Fail without out Apple branded products and being open source protocol for Android.

 

1. Nest is not going to be first on board, and they are certainly the most visible in the market to the average consumer.

2. Large vendors (Lutron's of the world) aren't going to want to support two platforms.

3. MANY households are mixed OS's

 

Would a common protocol help the industry, absolutely.

[eggzlot]

This is just an editorial type article but I agree with the point of view - its not a slam dunk since there are obstacles around non iOS users, companies not wanting to certify through more steps/different hardware needs, etc:  http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/03/apple-connected-homekit/

 

I think competition is good and if it lights a fire under C4 even better.  I know there is that voicepod thing, but if I could easily use Siri with some hacks to my phone to allow some voice control of my system, that would be great too.  Maybe C4 finds a way to tap into the SDK so we can have the best of both worlds.