Apple's HomeKit Will Provide A 'Simple And Easy' Experience For Consumers

Apple's AAPL smart home concept turned out to be more than another false rumor.

The platform -- which was officially announced as HomeKit -- creates a common protocol for home accessory developers to utilize.

Honeywell HON is among the manufacturers that have partnered with Apple to develop products using HomeKit.

"We're thrilled to be developing thermostats that will work with Apple's new HomeKit Accessory Protocol," Honeywell product marketing specialist Mike Bruce told Benzinga. "HomeKit will allow us to provide a simple and easy experience for our customers, with the ability to securely pair and control devices throughout the house, including integration with Siri."

Serving The Developers

Apple has occasionally used its Worldwide Developers Conference to excite the masses, but the company chose to focus on developers at this year's event.

None of the rumored physical products -- such as the iWatch or Retina MacBook Air -- were introduced.

"I would say that WWDC really had two audiences," Morgan Reed, Executive Director of The App Association, told Benzinga.

"One of those audiences was the traditional tech consumer that was looking for something to buy and play with," he continued. "I think Apple spoke to those consumers on the HealthKit, on family sharing, on HomeKit and really said, 'Look to Apple to be pushing the envelope when it comes to cool things you can do with your mobile tech.'"

Related Link: Is Beats Developing Apple's Next Groundbreaking Device?

On the developer side, Reed said App Association members think that Swift, Apple's new programming language, is "pretty interesting."

"They liked that it was a pretty tight, efficient language," he said. "One of my developers used the term 'elegant.' He thought it looked pretty elegant. But a lot of it will come down to how well it works. What can we produce with it, and how quickly can we get [an app] to market using this new language and the Apple development environment? That's really what drives developers."

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report.

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Posted In: TechInterviewAppleHealthKitHomeKithoneywellMike BruceMorgan ReedThe App AssociationWorldwide Developers ConferenceWWDC
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