Apple’s expansion into the smart home begins next month

It’s been almost a year since Apple first announced HomeKit, and contrary to rumors that the company’s smart home platform would be delayed, HomeKit products will begin shipping next month as planned. As the market for smart home products is still in its infancy, its only natural that a company like Apple would try to establish a dominant position in the market’s early stages, and that’s exactly what HomeKit is supposed to do. 

On the heels of a report that said Apple HomeKit products would be delayed, the company is pushing back on the claim, saying that devices that will run on its smart home framework will ship right on time. Apple told Mashable that HomeKit-compatible products will be available as early as June, rebutting the report that they’ll be delayed until the fall. “HomeKit has been available for just a few months and we already have dozens of partners who have committed to bringing HomeKit accessories to market and we’re looking forward to the first ones coming next month,” an Apple spokesperson told Mashable in an email. The company first announced its HomeKit platform in June 2014 — quite a while ago, given that Apple traditionally launches its products and services soon after their unveilings. But HomeKit has been an extended process as developers and manufacturers have had to build both physical and app products to run on the smart home platform.