Hey Siri, good morning.
[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
Your house is waking up.
It might need some coffee though.
Apple's HomeKit platform has been lagging behind on the smart home for some time now.
It doesn't have as many product partners as Amazon's Lexus or Google Alphabets Nest.
And it's not really easy to set up.
It doesn't even have it's own dedicated app.
That was until Apple announced it's latest mobile software nad a new beta app for home kit called.
Home.
The official version of iOS 10 and Home won't be available until the Fall.
But we decided to take a look at the beta to see what we liked and didn't Here's what we like.
It's pretty easy to use, but still customizable.
Quick press an accessory to turn it on or off.
Or long press it for more options.
Setting up scenes is also really simple and intuitive, so with a single command you can control multiple devices.
And if you set up an Apple TV or an iPad as a hub, you have access to some advanced automation options.
Options like geo-fencing and triggers.
But there were some issues too.
For one thing it's still really hard to set up.
There's no actual infrastructure built into the app right now, at least in beta form, that lets you set up new devices.
I would really Really love to see a drop-down menu, or something simple that lists specific products so you know how to pair them.
It's also a little tricky in terms of usability as of today.
There's no Back button on the pages, so you really just have to press somewhere within the the current Screen to get back to the previous page.
And there's no way to see all of your devices in one space.
That's something that we'd love to see in a final version.
It's still in beta so it's definitely early to make a judgement on this software.
We see potential here, so hopefully the final version of this app will give HomeKit a stronger position.
Channel smart home.
Hey, Siri.
Good night.
[MUSIC]
Nighty night.
May your house sleep tight.
