Gigaom reports that Apple’s smart home initiative will be less about a “whole home” experience, and more about a program for connected devices that will be certified under the Made for iPhone label.
Gigaom:
My sources, who spoke only on background because of their involvement or knowledge of the program, explain that the smart home effort will have a heavy focus on connecting devices easily via Wi-Fi and will likely offer voice control via Bluetooth as well. However, it won’t have some sort of software-based automation layer controlled by Apple that supersedes the original apps.
Consumers ready to put together their own smart home will be able to look for products with the MFi label to be sure they can easily setup and control the home automation devices from their iPhone. The devices will require chips that are certified for the MFi program, including Apple’s Wireless Accessory Configuration (WAC),
Apple previously launched a partnership with Chinese appliance make Haier to certify the Tianzun smart air conditioner in the MFi program. The A/C unit was the first connected appliance to meet Apple’s MFi standards.
The report says WWDC 2014 will likely see a roll out of participating partners with devices and chips that support Apple’s standard. The MFi program will assure consumers that those devices will work with their iOS device.
