Apple is a phenomenal technology giant that brought us the truly personal computer, the iPod and the iPhone. It is amazingly successful, a brand with strength like no other, that’s making a lot of money. But, Apple is perceived to be trailing behind Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook in areas such as voice control, autonomous cars and virtual reality.
Apple is clearly making efforts in these areas, but I don’t think any of them present the company with its best chance of making a big impact. Instead, Apple should focus its attention on the fragmented connected-home market, an opportunity that is optimal for its DNA.
This giant market has a trillion-dollar potential, but it’s currently broken and dysfunctional, with bad user experience, poor technology integration and a lack of business cohesion. Interacting with all these devices and services is a complete mess, as each has its own app, business arrangement and, generally, entrenched poor design heritage. This mediocrity is reminiscent of the mobile phone scene just over a decade ago, before the iPhone arrived. It is ripe for Apple’s design and powers of execution.
The company already has some notable networking (Apple TV), entertainment (Beats), and interface and computing (Mac, iPad, iPhone) devices at home. It has recently introduced the HomePod, a smart speaker with a somewhat unclear focus – between voice control and an audio device. It also has notable credentials in the music and content markets.
With its massive economic power and brand cachet, Apple will have the power to reframe the service and business models currently held by more traditional service providers. The introduction of 5G will bypass them all together as mobile technology makes cable or phone lines obsolete. But above all, Apple has the humanistic design discipline and ability to execute a grand master plan. This is exactly what the dysfunctional connected-home market lacks – and needs.
Apple’s connected home will offer a seamlessly integrated and well-designed system of software, hardware and networking. Combined with a broad ecosystem of content delivery, services and user-interface standards, the company could pull together a game-changing iPhone-style moment for this mundane market segment.
This will mean flawless integration and installation of your security system, TV, kitchen appliances and innovative new devices. It will provide a common ground for new innovation and startups, much like the iPhone’s impact on the mobile-phone market.
Services attached to these home devices will be accessed as simply as the App Store and third parties will have a clear technology road map to follow, with a single powerful operating system to rely upon.
The connected home is a mega-challenge suitable for a mega-company such as Apple. It should recapture its leadership by addressing a neglected market with its ingenuity and talent.
Gadi Amit is president of New Deal Design and designer of the Fitbit
This month at WIRED we're looking at how the world's most valuable company can own the future. This is how Apple can think different and change the world all over again.
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The connected home is a mega-challenge for Apple's future
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
