Ikea's smart blinds delayed until August
Initially pitched as a spring release, the voice-compatible Tradfri smart blinds are now expected to arrive by the end of the year.
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Ikea is delaying the release of its new smart blinds, the Swedish retailer confirms to CNET. Initially scheduled to launch in April, the voice-compatible smart shades are now set to arrive in stores this August.
With the promise of voice controls via Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant -- and the potential to be much less expensive than fancier competing products from Lutron and Somfy -- Ikea's smart blinds generated lots of buzz when the company first teased them last year. Now, it seems that the firmware needs a little more time.
The blinds will sell in two styles internationally, but Ikea only plans on releasing one of those styles, Fyrtur, in the US. Ikea doesn't have information on what sizes the shades will come in yet, but a spokesperson for the company tells us that they'll launch with a single color option: gray.
No final word yet on what the blinds will actually cost, though we previously spotted some early listings on Ikea's European sites with prices that convert to well below $200.
Ikea cautions us not to read too much into that, though. Over email, a company spokesperson noted, "[some outlets] are still quoting the prices in euros and surmising what the US prices will be, but we have no confirmed pricing yet. And that's all we know right now."
In addition to Amazon's, Apple's and Google's voice control platforms, the blinds will work with Ikea's existing Tradfri smart lighting kit, including its wireless remote, pictured above. We expect that you'll be able to control and automate them alongside your lights in the Tradfri app on your Android or iOS device, too.
We're eager to test these out in the CNET Smart Home, so stay tuned for a review late this summer (presuming there aren't more delays, of course).
