Apple HomeKit Review: Siri’s New Smart Home Already Needs Renovation - WSJ

From a HomeKit reality check

"Apple is trying to do something very hard—and very important—with HomeKit. The smart home is personal tech’s Wild West, and Apple wants the iPhone to play sheriff. Google, Samsung, Amazon and many others also want to run our smart homes, but arguably none of them have Apple’s sway to make a zillion other brands adopt a common set of privacy, security and programming standards. Setting up a smart home today is hellish, and could use a good dose of Apple simplicity. 

Maybe Apple still can pull that off, but this first public showing is uncharacteristically crude. Yes, Apple has done the work of creating a common language for home devices—already, competing products light up together because of HomeKit. But for now, Siri is still in the dark. Did Apple bite off more than it can chew? My bet is that simplifying the smart home is so complicated, it’s still years away."

Apple HomeKit Review: Siri’s New Smart Home Already Needs Renovation - WSJ