Apple`s Homekit: Bringing the ‘Internet of Things’ into Homes |
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The term IoT was framed by Kevin Ashton in 1999. IoT referred to the ever-growing network of physical objects or things that had an Internet Protocol (IP) address for internet connectivity, and were capable of gathering and sharing electronic information. Industry observers stated that till late 2010, the principal devices accessing the Internet were PCs, laptops, and then smartphones. Gradually, consumer electronics and industrial devices began to be connected to the Internet. However, the number of devices in the world more or less scaled equal to the number of device users.. |
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| Apple quickly realized that in the SH space, there was not only a common protocol missing, but there was also a severe lack of security features in the various protocols. The company then went about enhancing the security features of HomeKit in order to gain a distinct competitive advantage in the SH space. For that, it expanded its MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad) licensing program that all Apple compatible products needed to have to encompass the HomeKit platform.. |
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| In 2016, Apple made two sequential releases of the iOS within a few months of each other. While it launched the iOS 9 in March 2016, the iOS 10 was previewed in June 2016. Apple’s stringent norms had put off many manufacturers and developers and as a result there was not a lot of variety in either the SH devices or apps that worked with HomeKit, even till iOS 10 came into existence. Critics thought that Apple’s push into the SH market was its softest launch ever into a new technology space... |
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| Despite, having a customer facing solution, Apple failed to make major inroads into the IoT space. Industry observers pointed out that while Apple was focusing on making its smartphones i.e. iPhone, the center of control for SH devices, smart speakers had entered the market. Smart speakers managed to nudge smartphones aside to emerge as the preferred home hubs, due to their relative ease of use... |
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| Analysts believed that Apple’s delay in launching the HomePod had helped other players like Amazon and Google to solidify their position in the smart speaker market. The apps that worked with voice commands – which Amazon called ‘skills’ and Google called ‘actions’ – had become another area where both companies were able to leave Apple behind. Analysts observed that compared to its rivals, HomePod worked with a highly limited number of third party apps.. |
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| Despite Apple’s focus on security, it found to its dismay that it had not made HomeKit impervious to malicious attacks. In late 2017, it came to light that HomeKit had a vulnerability that enabled an attacker to remotely control IoT devices. The issue prompted Apple to temporarily disable HomeKit’s shared remote users feature, which was later reactivated after a security update. However, the issue brought the company negative publicity about its much hyped security features.. |
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| Analysts observed that the US SH market was still small owing to limited appliance availability, limited value, and the high prices of SH devices. However, they believed that SH technology was growing fast and an entirely new spectrum of functional SH devices were being introduced in the market each day, thereby changing how consumers interacted with their homes. |
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Exhibit IA:Key Areas in the IoT Space, as of 2017
Exhibit IB: Key IoT Market Share by Sectors -- 2018
Exhibit II: Key Financials of Apple, as of 2017 (in Millions of US$)
Exhibit III: Information on Key SH Device Manufacturers
Exhibit IV: Tabs in the Home APP
Exhibit V: Top Uses of Smart Speakers – May 2017
Exhibit VI: Key Platforms in the IoT Space
Exhibit VIIA: SH Devices Commonly Used by US Homes – 2017
Exhibit VIIB: Reasons for the Non-adoption of SH Devices – 2017
Exhibit VIII: Stages in the US SH Market |
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