MACFORMAT investigat es
Once exciting and futuristic, HomeKit has been overtaken by its rivals. Does it stand a chance?
Can HomeKit make a comeback?
The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas may be a promised land of all things tech, but Apple is always conspicuous
by its absence. Apple usually skips CES in favour of its own events, where it has more control, so its absence at CES 2018 was not surprising.But has that CES shyness led to HomeKit, Apple’s home automation platform, failing to capture attention?
CES is, after all, a propaganda stage of epic proportions. Apple’s somewhat bashful approach stands in stark contrast to that of two of its main rivals, Amazon and Google, who have been keen to take advantage of the free press the show affords. During the last two years, first Amazon and then Google have made concerted efforts to make people aware of their smart home platforms. At CES 2018, for example, Google plastered Las Vegas with billboards and even wrapped the city’s monorail trains in giant adverts. All of that contributed to heightened awareness of the platform among show-goers. Not only that, but the show stalls and booths were packed with gadgets and gizmos all designed to work seamlessly with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Still, that doesn’t mean that Apple is always totally absent from CES, even if the company itself stays away. In the past, the show would be full of companies desperate to get in on Apple’s lauded ecosystem, with all manner of speakers, cases, clocks and more built for iPhones and Macs. This year, that felt like a distant memory, with Alexa and Home being the platforms du jour.
While Amazon and Google may advertise their presence, third-party manufacturers also jump on board and promote these platforms through their own products. Yet HomeKit-compatible devices, though present, were in short supply this year, drowned out by a flood of competing alternatives.
Putting your home in order
Despite being backed by the world’s biggest company, HomeKit has struggled against its rivals, and that has been due in large part to the restrictions Apple put on HomeKit developers in the past. In particular, devices were previously required to use a hardware-based authentication system. This meant manufacturers had to include an Apple-approved authentication chip in their products. If customers already had a non-HomeKit device from the manufacturer, they’d have to buy a replacement to work with HomeKit, or a bridge,
if the manufacturer made one.
According to a Reuters report published in January 2017, Apple charged between 50 cents and $2 for each of these compatible chips in small orders, with prices dropping for larger quantities. That was a significant financial obstacle to any company that wanted to get its devices into as many homes as possible. Reuters also asserted that Apple required developers to buy specific Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips that cost more than rival options, further adding to the cost.
There were other onerous restrictions that Apple placed upon would-be HomeKit device manufacturers. According to the Reuters report, HomeKit devices had to be made in specific factories certified by Apple. Reuters has claimed to have seen a confidential document listing these factories, numbering more than 800, yet supposedly only a few of them specialise in home automation products. Due to this limited list of fabrication plants, manufacturers couldn’t always get the best prices or work with their preferred partners (although they could ask Apple to certify an unlisted factory).
Furthermore, manufacturers had to send product samples to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, where Apple would extensively test them for compatibility; this process could take three to five months, during which time the manufacturers were prohibited from announcing that they were seeking HomeKit certification. While this process could find previously unknown defects or issues in products thought to be ready for sale, as was the case with Nanoleaf, a smart lighting system, it also represented a significant hurdle and time delay to any company that wanted to get a product to market quickly. Simply put, that all meant it was far easier and cheaper for manufacturers to make smart home devices that worked with Alexa and Home, and skip HomeKit support altogether.
Evidently, Apple has since realised the disadvantaged position its own policies put it in, and has changed its course. In June 2017, the company announced that it would be switching to a software-based authentication system. Once iOS 11 came out, that meant any developer could issue a firmware update to make a device compatible with HomeKit. Consequently, consumers no longer need to buy a new device to ensure they can use Apple’s system. Still, it makes one wonder: if the new software authentication system can do everything that the previous hardware system did, why then did Apple not use a software system in the first place?
Regardless, the new setup means anyone with an Apple developer account can build a HomeKit device. Although they must still sign up for Apple’s MFi (Made For iPhone/ iPod/iPad) licensing programme if they want to sell the devices to the public, they can create a HomeKit device for their own use without needing to gain MFi approval.
This change is showing some signs of bearing fruit. In September 2017, The Verge reported that “Apple HomeKit devices are suddenly booming”. The outlet said that the rise in HomeKit-compatible devices was a direct result of Apple loosening the reins on smart home developers who want to make
Evidently, Apple has since realised the disadvantaged position its own policies put it in
their gadgets work with HomeKit. Among the products being updated to work with HomeKit were Netatmo security cameras, Ikea smart lights, sensors and switches, plus Logitech security cameras. As well as those updates, several companies such as Philips, August, Elgato and Latch have announced or launched brand-new HomeKit devices.
That’s all well and good, but the time Apple spent correcting its earlier mistakes has seen Amazon and Google surge ahead in the smart home market. Apple has a lot of catching up to do.
What can Apple do?
Removing the hardware authentication requirement from HomeKit devices was the right move, but was it too late?
The problem is that HomeKit is partly held back by Apple’s own philosophy. The tight control Apple has always had over its products and ecosystems held back HomeKit in the past (with the hardware authentication requirement), and it threatens to limit its potential for expansion in the future.
That’s because Apple has not opened up access to Siri across its various devices that can act as a home hub (HomePod, Apple TV and iPad) to third-party app developers. (HomeKit accessories, though, can provide limited voice control, such as turning lights on or off, or querying the temperature or whether a door is locked.) So while Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant have spread far and wide in smart homes, Siri is a seriously constrained assistant. For example, it offers no integration with ride-booking services, which is possible with Alexa. Third-party apps and services on Apple’s platforms don’t integrate with HomeKit to extend its capabilities at present (unlike Alexa Skills), putting HomeKit at a clear disadvantage – at least for now.
In an ideal world, Apple would open up access to Siri to any third-party developer that wants to use it, obviously with some conditions and restrictions on usage. That hasn’t happened yet, given the overarching control Apple wields over its systems, pitched as being in the interests of people’s privacy. However, that may change at June’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) when it announces the next evolution of its various platforms.
As we argued last issue (#324), Apple needs a more affordable and versatile smart home platform for app developers to work with. Neither HomePod nor Apple TV allow that, at least not yet; beyond HomeKit’s limitations, they cost a lot more than rivals.
Furthermore, Apple needs to encourage people to make use of HomeKit by better explaining its benefits to consumers, developers and accessory manufacturers. It has long prided itself on the security and ease of use of its products. That’s the message it needs to push with HomeKit, and it already has a number of useful security features in place to bolster it. For example, HomeKit is reliant on security provided by your Apple ID, such as the encrypted iCloud Keychain.
It’s not too late for HomeKit, and Apple is taking steps in the right direction. But it must make a huge effort at WWDC and beyond if it’s to catch up with its rivals, put right the mistakes of the past and truly establish HomeKit as a worthy smart home platform.
Apple needs to better explain HomeKit’s benefits to consumers and manufacturers