At the end of 2017, Apple is set to release HomePod – its contribution to the smart home. This is a comparatively late arrival to the market, seeing as the likes of IKEA, Honeywell, Hive and Cocoon have been producing smart-home security devices for many years now. But, with Apple’s track record of developing market-leading technology in a number of industries, will its smart-home device add to the wealth of innovative technology that it already available? Here is everything you need to know about HomePod.
The smart-home security technology market
According to Information Age, more than four million people in the UK have bought smart devices for their homes. Indeed, Berg Insight says that, in the US, 73 million households will feature smart technology in 2021. This prevalence of smart devices is largely due to the fact that they are now affordable to the everyday homeowner. The reality of the smart home is far from the sleek, futuristic, automated homes of Sci-Fi films. It is all about enabling homeowners to simplify their daily routine by using tools that they are already familiar with.
Homeowners, especially those in Ashtead, are also now able to create a completely integrated smart home, as many of the brands they purchase are compatible with one another. So, rather than being bound to a particular brand, they can simply pick the products they like and add them into the mix.
How HomePod fits in
HomePod is, first and foremost, a speaker for playing music. It is controlled via Apple’s Siri voice control, and professes to be completely automatic and offer an unbeatable immersive listening experience. But, like Amazon’s Alexa or ‘OK Google’, you are able to use HomePod to control (via voice) other compatible smart-home devices, including your security gadgets.
Where Apple’s offering differs from that of other providers is that it only enables HomePod to integrate with other devices in the company’s HomeKit. This means that, if a homeowner opts for HomePod, their smart home will have to be all Apple. Some homeowners may be put off by this due to the expense of Apple devices. Saying this, there is a good range of security cameras, lights and more within the approved HomeKit range. Watch this space – we’ll be interested to see how HomePod and other smart devices fare in the coming years.
Here at Angel Security, we can advise you on creating a suitable smart ecosystem for your home. To find out more about our expert security solutions, simply contact us today.
