Latest: Apple Likely to Unviel a 'Smart Home' System at WWDC

Apple is readying a new software platform that would turn the iPhone into a remote control for lights, security systems and other household appliances, as part of a move into the “internet of things”.
The Financial Times says the company is planning to showcase a system that lets users control their lights, appliances and security systems with their iPhones when the conference kicks off June 2. The rumored introduction comes after Google purchased Nest Labs, a smart thermostat started by former Apple execs Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, for $2.8 billion in January.

Apple’s integrated system will make it easier to set up and control new “smart home” devices. For example, a home’s lights might automatically come on when the owner enters the house, using their iPhone to wirelessly signal their arrival. Such a system was outlined in an Apple patent filing, published in November last year. 
The connected-home system will give Apple customers more reasons to buy several devices in its iOS family, by using the iPhone or iPad in conjunction with its Apple TV box, an upgraded version of which is expected to be released later this year, to control other domestic devices. 


The company signaled its interest in the category in a June 2012 patent filling for a technology that connects lighting systems, security systems, garage-door openers, music controllers, climate controllers or kitchen appliances with mobile devices.

The Cupertino-based company was likely to emphasise the privacy protections built into its smart home system, one person familiar with Apple’s plans told the FT, given heightened sensitivity about technology companies’ access to personal information amid revelations about US intelligence agencies’ online surveillance programmes. 

Apple’s retail stores will also play a key role in its plans for the internet of things. Its new retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, joined from fashion brand Burberry at the beginning of May with a broad mandate to overhaul its high-street and online presence. 
Apple stores already sell several smart home products in the $50 to $250 price range, including Nest thermostats, Dropcam wireless cameras, Philips Hue lightbulbs and Belkin WeMo switches, each of which is controlled by a separate iPhone app.

The Internet of Things, as the class of smart appliances that interact with mobile devices and desktops is known, will account for 9 billion products by 2018, according to Business Insider but as the smart home market is still in its very early days, Apple may face challenges in convincing consumers and technologists to use its platform. But Apple’s longstanding promise that its products “just work” when used together, thanks to its tight integration of hardware, software and cloud services, could give the iPhone maker an advantage over its rivals.