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Will Apple’s robot crack the smart home?
The smart home space is getting interesting. This recent article on Tech Bullion gave a simple summary: it’s a market with a lot of potential but still issues to overcome – notably interoperability, integration of AI and delivering a meaningful user experience.
Playground of the giants
All three technology giants (Apple, Google and Amazon) have skin in the game. Ring - the smart doorbell company which is now associated with the entire home security infrastructure – is owned by Amazon. Google acquired Nest and Fitbit to extend its reach beyond smartphones and into the smart home. There’s certainly more consolidation to come, much of it driven – I suspect – by these three companies. Why? Because voice activation is the trigger for smart home tech and these three want to own voice.
What will Apple do?
While Google and Amazon’s ambitions seem fairly clear, Apple intrigues me. Its in-home efforts have largely been focussed on entertainment to date but it was rumoured earlier this year to be developing a home robot.
This week's reports suggest it’s time to take this seriously as this robot could act as a hub to control all those smart home devices giving Apple insight into what technology people are using in the home, without having to manufacture the gadgets itself. While I’m not convinced by the robotic arm concept, I’m curious to see if this is the purpose and how Apple plans to manage the home ecosystem. Apple doesn’t like open systems, so this could be a significant moment. Perhaps it’s a defensive move with Google and Amazon so strong in the smart home space?
IFA 2024​
One thing’s for certain – you won’t see any Apple devices at IFA 2024, although I’m certain there will be plenty of new smart home tech on display next month. If you are planning to be there, please look up Emily John, our Associate Director. She’s written a great blog on how to get the most from tradeshows, and while it’s too late to plan for IFA now, this is the time to start planning for Mobile World Congress – terrifyingly it’s now less than 200 days away!
Exhibition & Events Calendar
A round-up of the big events coming your way over the next three months
