A brief history of Apple iPad models 2010-2019 (Gallery)
Apple's iPad exploded into the consumer tech market in April of 2010, months ahead of the first Android-powered tablet, and since then the company has sold some 400 million units. ...
Apple's HomePod can be used as a hub to control HomeKit devices via Siri voice commands. Here's a selection of accessories worth investigating.
There's a lot riding on the success of Apple's new HomePod smart speaker, so news that it had sold out on pre-orders ahead of the 9 February launch will have been met with a few sighs of relief in Apple's 'spaceship' HQ in Cupertino.
Initial reviews generally praise the speaker's audio quality, but the HomePod is also an AI-driven device that's designed to work with Apple's Siri voice assistant. And, crucially, the HomePod also incorporates Apple's HomeKit software for home automation. HomeKit was actually launched back in 2014, as part of iOS 8, but has struggled to gain support as smart speakers such as Amazon's Echo and Google Home have taken a lead in the smart home market.
So, as well as just being a high-quality speaker, the HomePod is also a vital strategic product that needs to be a success if Apple is to gain a foothold in the key home-automation market. And, with the HomePod barely a week old, the initial signs are favourable, with a number of new smart devices announcing support for HomeKit. Most of these are aimed at home users, but many can also be useful in an office or commercial environments such as hotels or restaurants (and, of course, most of them also support the Amazon Echo too).
If you're thinking of buying a £319/$349 HomePod as a hub for your smart home or office, here are some of the HomeKit-compatible devices you'll be able to control.
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Caption by: Cliff Joseph
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