Analyst: Home Automation Could Boost Apple Stock

I dont have any confidence that Apple gets home automation at all.  They build their stuff to be INTENTIONALLY incompatible with 3rd party products (i.e. the new Apple TV)...so unless Apple comes out with dimmers, thermostats and all the rest, I think that this is a nightmare waiting to happen.

I much prefer a solution where Apple products can be part of a customer’s system…but is not central to the system.

Excellent point, John. They’d have to build their own dimmers and thermostats. Why didn’t I think of that?!

John - what is the AppleTV intentionally incompatible with, other than analog-only displays?

Same question for iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac Mini, etc etc?

They are already in the home automation market. It’s called Savant.

Paul - The original Apple TV allowed for 2 way communication with control systems…Crestron has a driver for it, among others.  It would provide full control of the Apple TV, INCLUDING meta-data feedback.  When they introduced the AppleTV 2, they intentionally changed the protocol to make it so you can only have basic IR control…for anything more, you need to control it with an Apple branded device (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad).

The original AppleTV allowed for it in the same way that Sonos allows for it - completely undocumented and unsupported, best of luck with a packet sniffer, gentlemen, and you’re a firmware update away from being SOL.

And why would they bother with the time and expense of developing and maintaining an open API for a product like the Apple**TV** which is primarily used in conjunction with a TV set, i.e. on screen menu system? A bonus for them is they don’t have to worry about subpar programmers screwing up the user experience.

From what I understand they changed it up in order to roll out the hard-diskless model with Airplay and the other bells and whistles. If you’re relying on unsupported hacked solutions for your clients’ projects that’s a risk that you take.

I’m far from an Apple apologist and agree that they are among the most CI-unfriendly companies I’ve had the displeasure of dealing with. However, if you stay smart and play by the rules you won’t get bitten too hard (most of the time!)

My point is that Apple INTENTIONALLY crippled their device so it wouldnt play nice with others.  I know the Apple TV (gen 1) drivers were unsanctioned, but they WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY to cripple this functionality.  So, I am less than thrilled to even hear a rumor that they will be trying their hand at automation.

I can’t imagine that Best Buy will allow Apple to brand this team as the “Genius Squad.”

@glr-fti - Savant is actually a centralized control system with many options and ability to customize its look and functionality in a manner similar to Crestron and AMX.

Any “automation” by a team at this level is likely to end after installing the Lutron/LiteTouch app, the Aprilaire/Daikin/Mitsu app, the Pentair app etc.

They are NOT necessarily expanding into the home, and if they did, they would certainly not call it Genius Squad. This is just one analyst’s suggestions (and cute brand name) to Apple for what would help them expand beyond the usual.

Analysts are like the TV lawyers that assured Casey Anthony would get the chair….

The Savant solution is marketed as an “Apple based” automation system.  However, at the core of their automation system is a Unix processor carrying out the heavy lifting on the control side.  Apple iOS devices serve as the UI (much the same as with AMX, Crestron, Control4 and some other less sophisticated systems).  OSX devices handle graphics processing and content management.  I find it unlikely that Apple forges ahead into a market like ours.  Relatively speaking, we are small potatoes and the steep curve to either establish a universal ‘Apple’ control protocol or establish a library of control modules like Crestron could cost tens and tens of millions of dollars for a relatively small market.  Last I heard, Savant was still not even cash positive, let alone on a path to return capital invested by it’s founder, despite it’s excellent market penetration and continued growth.

Apple has no desire to get into a 20% gross margin business (onsite installation and support). UBS ought to know this. This really is a misleading article.

@William H.  Savant is Apple Based because the entire system is run on Apple Native Software,  even based on Applications embedded into Apple OSX, IE Automator.  It is not a Firmware driven box,  it is actually a Mac Mini running the host config, and doing all the “heavy lifting”.  The Unix boards in the system translate the protocols sent by the mac mini to Hex commands and send it to the controlled devices via rs232, IR, or IP.  Also the Unix Chips inside of the HDMI switches handle the HDMI Protocols and Video Processing.  And Savant also now has 2 way control of the Apple TV2 including Metadata and Airplay control.

Interesting.  Clearly the “apple” experience is that it is all integrated and it just works and goes against what installers represent.  The idea to recruit a “genius squad” copying a geek squad is an interesting idea if they wanted to scale their revenue with a home centric product they could go there. I agree with one of the posters that it is a niche market although apple TV and a good remote (say replacing logitech/pronto) are obvious ones but they haven’t picked them (yet?) as obvious targets.  Clearly in the US with the emphasis on the A/V market they could give Crestron a run for their money since they would certainly have the credibility to offer that integrated and simple experience.  But lights? I thought the Android demo with lights over 6lowpan was an interesting noise from Google. Lights are a bigger part (and bigger money maker, think Lutron) in the EU experience where a lot of folks start from comfort through lights/shades/temp where the US starts with AV. 

Savant is definitely an interesting quality product, I was not aware of the background story of the founder and cash flow, but if you look across the industry it is not un-usual to see individuals taking a stab.  Some care, some don’t care. I would care.  But when you hear stories like life|ware who sunked 20 mill from founder and quickly died a horrible death at the hands of the distribution you shudder.  Stories like Global Cache however are more heartwarming.

The installer is not going away, it is still complex to do and integrate all of this. The installer business is what is evolving rapidly as the market expands.  This whole works out if you make more money, if you don’t and work more, it is not very attractive.  That jump is very scary.  Sell Crestron at 100k? or apple at 1k?  and the wife prefers apple and I don’t want a crestron programmer fusing with my couch.

If they do get into the business, it will be just another thing we will laugh about when a customer calls me to come in and “fix” what they did, kind of like when Best Buy installers come out to “integrate” something. The customer will lose money, I will have to integrate whatever junk they bought from Apple (that’s not CI friendly) and try to tell the customer that unless he buys this and that, its never going to work properly. I’m getting a moist feeling just thinking about it!  (not)