Savant: iPad Will Redefine Home Automation

I’m sure there will be allot of integrators who will be kicking and screaming about this as much as they are about HDMI and 3DTV- the Touchpanel was the next logical thing in our industry to become a commodity- the days of proprietary programming software and integrators who believe that their programming (er, uh, glorified customer-specific configuration files) is their intellectual property needs to come to an abrupt end.

Does anyone else see the irony here?

1. Savant sells touchpanels more expensive than Crestron (especially when you factor in the back end equipment needed to run a Savant panel)

2. Savant sells hardware systems that cost more than Crestron/Amx

3. Savant touts its systems as requiring no programming.

So, if the touchpanel is now virtually free, and the programming is non existent - what services are we actually going to be charging for?  Installation only?  No engineering since the Savant system is so simple, right?

Is Savant going to start giving away all its hardware now and run all our houses from an Ipad?  It looks like it from this quote: ““The days of living strictly off hardware margins are numbered.“The days of living strictly off hardware margins are numbered.” 

I don’t understand the point of this article coming from a company that sells very expensive, high margin touchpanels and equipment.  It seems a little bit like talking out of both sides of the marketing mouth to me. 

I’m not saying our industry isn’t changing nor that the Ipad won’t have some impact on it and our business models - I’m just saying its ironic this news is coming from one of the most expensive hardware manufacturers around.

Don’t look now, but there are already 60 million plus iPhones on the market.  We’re already living in this watershed moment. 

ST

I find the second comment exceptionally jaded and suspect. Deny it as long as you want from an integration prospective. The costing for
traditional style wired touch panels will remain higher priced as they are a more mission critical solution for a client with integration in their home. However, gone are the days of overpriced, under performing and under featured closed architecture touch panels.  You mention the higher cost of a Savant touch panel. When you factor that the panel is actually a high end computer that can run any interface as well as any program it is far more than a legacy style controller. But, based on the fear of change you may already not see what is coming and be one of the one’s Jim was referring to. Best of luck fighting it.

I think the iPad will change the HA market completely. Putting it more in reach of a larger percentage of consumers.

Savant delivers a fabulous product but they want to be the next Crestron, high priced products, dealer exclusion. Practice what you preach…

If you truly believe and stand by your statement of “home automation becoming more affordable”…  then open up your products to smaller CI firms who have the OSX background and experience but maybe not the SALES numbers of the elite CI firms out there.

The middle-level consumers comes to the middle-level integrators not the Big boys who only want to sell the exclusive, expensive solutions.

Tablets such as the iPad are undoubtedly the future of the Universal Remote, as are smartphone devices.  I can see apps running on an iPhone or Android device, being used as a personal controller and the tablet devices such as the iPad being used as Social controllers (i.e. sitting in the family room on the coffee table).  Some CE brands are already doing this today (think Sonos).

Those that choose to ignore this trend may unfortunately be left behind.  Hard economic times (like now) are famous for creating catalysts for paradigm shifts in business.

Choose wisely my friends…

Honestly, I don’t see what all the comotion is about. If anyone needs to be worried, it’s the hardware manufacturers such as Crestron and AMX etc. They are the ones who are going to be affected by the low-priced iPad.

As for the customers, again, the average customer who uses the custom install company will continue to use them . They are not going to start programming their remotes or iPads because they don’t want to deal with it.

The DIY’ers were never your target audience and therfore they will never be. My bet, is the iPad will probably hit deeper in this segment of the market.

When you spend $30K or more on a system, I don’t think you are going to program it yourself.

I actually see a blessing the iPad from custom installer perpective as it will make touch panels more affordable to more clients and will actually open up some markets that could not afford a $1500 touch panel.

Rather then reject it, I would recommend to my fellow installers to embrase it and capitalize on the business potential it brings with it.

I totally agree with Kattan,
I live in Portugal and work in a distribution company of home and building automation with the KNX system ( A system with more than one hundred manufacturers ), and for us until now the only possibility to have a portable touch screen was to integrate a Crestron or a Amx tablet.
The Ipad will allow our custumers (system integrators) to reach other markets and to help “democratise” HA. After all, HA should be something at the reach of everyone.

We already have web servers starting at 300€ and wall touch panels at 200€. With the Ipad we will have the web server in our hands, rather than in our pc or our small mobile phone, at an affordable price.

And believe me, a knx instalation normaly starts at 10K (7000€) for controlling everything from heating, security, lights and blinds.Now we’ll just have to add an Ipad

You may love it or hate it, but the cold hard fact is that Apple iTunes became the “virus” that infected almost all PCs in the globe showing us that music and video can be fun and easy. Now, the new generations of iPods and iPads will change the way we read books and papers and control our homes and other aspects of our lives.

Just because Savant are Mac people doesn’t mean that they have Apple market cornered.  Look for every automation provider that wants to ride the iPad wave to tout an app of their own.  (there will be an iPad wave)  We all saw what happened with the iPhone/iPod touch, wait and see now that the device has better connectivity as well more real estate on the screen.  A definate game changer for the industry.  Mock it if you want, but the iPad, will change this industry forever.

Unfortunately for most dealers, this is the slippery slope to margins and a business model they can’t sustain.  Fortunately, for other dealers and 1-3 man integrators that can sustain, this may be the push to get the mass market excited about home automation.  We’ve had repeated experience of showing people 7” - 10” touchscreens with moderate excitement.  As soon as we say “and you can also control it from the iPhone”, they get crazy excited.  Apple’s ability to tie emotion to the brand is unbeatable.  It will only go further with the iPad. 

Also, let’s face it…their stuff just works.  I’m more excited myself of the possibilities of integrating on the iPad than I ever will be about just trying to keep someone else’s panel connected and stable on the network.  I just wish Apple would open up a little more to purchasing requirements and recognize this industry so we won’t be out of the loop completely.

I think one of the points missed is this will open up a market for installers with people that may have $10K to spend on multi-room system but not $30K.

That is someone will be willing to go make $400 / Job on programming/integration vs $3-4K.

Just because someone spends $10K vs $30K doesn’t mean the want the automation and integration done incorrectly.

Another point to take issue with: 16-, 32- and 64-GB of storage isn’t enough.

I have an iPhone with 8GB of storage but I have access to my entire music library that is approaching 500GB. Ask me how.

Lot’s of good comments.  I’ll add that the lack of full multitasking is a key shortcoming of the iPad that wasn’t mentioned.  If I’m going to use my iPad for control, I want the ability to quickly switch from my Web browser or e-mail to control interface.

I think that people should not narrow their visions with the iPad, but look to embrace the cheap tablet wave that is coming.  A tablet wave, and really an “interface” wave that was on its way before the iPad was even announced.  The tablets running Android, Windows and Linux were already in development before Apple made their announcement.  It is mainly a testament to Apple’s marketing dollars and already proven track record and experience with mobile devices and interfaces that they were able to make a coherent and credible announcement at launch without actually having a finished product available for immediate purchase.  They have a built in developer community and, perhaps even more importantly, a built in user and fan-base that is growing and can sustain such a product that is basically an over-sized iPod Touch.

Remember that Dell, HP, MSI, Asus, Notion Ink and other companies will have at least a score of similar (and likely cheaper and more versatile) devices out either before or around the same time that the iPad is finally available for sale that will be running more open OS platforms like Android that also have a very established developer community and a user/fan-base that is growing daily with the popularity of Android based mobile phones.  We should also not forget about the Windows (and potentially Windows Mobile/Phone/Tablet OS?) tablets that are coming as well.  These may be able to leverage the combined might of an already installed base of Microsoft Windows OS, server and phone hardware and software that can be integrated with simpler and prettier interfaces such as those found in Media Center and the new Windows Phone that was just announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

I don’t believe in being locked into any one manufacturer’s vision of the future.  Remember that a lot of people don’t use iPhones.  They use Windows Mobile,  Android, Blackberry, Palm and other phones—all of which already use “Apps” or task-centric interfaces that are growing more so by the day.  Many developers are already writing their apps with cross-platform compatibility in mind in order to reach more potential users.  As long as there are comprehensive and competent offerings from other software and hardware manufacturers that can either be purchased outright as complete systems or integrated cohesively by installers—I say the more choices, the better. 

A wave is coming alright. What we should be both observing and understanding is that a paradigm shift is already happening in the way that things have been done in people’s daily lives.  It will affect the way people read and learn, absorb media, interact with each other and also control their environments. On several fronts, this shift is coming.  We should not just embrace it—we should be on the cutting edge in helping to usher it in…

SlackerX spot on.  Look what the iPhone has caused the competition to do.  Phones have gotten better in leaps and bounds since the release of the iPhone.  Apple didn’t invent the slate, they appear to have made it better.  They seem to always set the bar. Now just watch, we will have killer slates in every flavor. 

Mark, it doesn’t matter how much hard drive it has.  If it can run my automation app, thats all I care about.  Anything else is gravy.  I’m not buying it for the music.  Multitasking?  It certainly is a downer in alot of applications, but in this one, who cares? If it runs my automation app quickly, and reliably it’s a perfect fit.

Ironic is right.  The Savant systems are so expensive and not worth the extra money especially over the Control4 systems.  Advertising a “free app” for the iPad is not really a true representation for the amount you will spend to use their app.  Their equipment is sooo expensive.  Go Control4 is better quality and pricing - and great apps!

look at the blinders “Kob” aka Mr. Control4 has.  Quite honestly there is a price point and a buyer for every control system out there.  The people who are buying SAVANT are obviously not concerned about the cost but the overall performance and package (based upon your comment that it is so expensive).  BTW, how would you know that Control4 is better built Kob?  You apparently can’t afford the equipment.  Control4 has its limitations and if you don’t want to be forward with them, I am sure other forum members will be more than happy to expose them.  Bottom line, there is plenty of competition and enough buyers in each price category to keep this market growing.

Good point, how would Kob know that Control4 is better built than SAVANT if he can’t afford the equipment be cause it’s soooo expensive.  Kob, you better hope that Control4 doesn’t go under or your going to be stuck with Universal Remote as a home automation alternative.