Slowly but surely, Apple is been threatening to creep into the smart home market. The company just took one more small step by announcing that it’s HomeKit software will give you access to connected home devices from anywhere in the world by using iCloud. And the software will finally work on a whole bunch of products.
Apple didn’t say exactly which product will work with HomeKit. We do know that they will include lights, sensors, locks, thermostats, and window shades. It sounds like existing devices will be work with HomeKit, too. The Philips Hue lighting system, for instance, will be one of the HomeKit-compatible devices. Apple will undoubtedly release a list in the near future.
In the meantime, start thinking long and hard about whether you want to connect your home to iCloud. After all, iCloud doesn’t have the greatest track record in terms of security, though Tim Cook promised to fix that problem. You can only hope that the slow rollout of HomeKit is in the name of security. Maybe wait until v.2 before you connect your smart locks to iCloud, though. Just maybe.