Apple home-automation plan already has skeptics
Apple’s keynote presentation at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco next Monday is likely to focus on its new mobile operating system, iOS 8, and on using the iPhone as a remote control for lights, security systems and other home electronics. Apple ‘s (AAPL) keynote will be its first public product presentation in the seven months since the Oct. 22 launch of the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display. Apple is typically mum on what it plans to reveal. But most analysts say that the talk will center on new versions of its core operating systems: iOS 8 for mobile devices and a second California-themed OS X operating system for its Mac computers, following last year’s Mavericks. The Financial Times reported Monday that Apple is going to push a new software platform that would turn the iPhone into a remote control for lights, security systems and other household appliances as part of a move into the “Internet of Things.” It would follow similar moves by Google (GOOGL) and Samsung in the area of home automation.