It’s quite normal for Apple to display pictures of Philips’ technology during its keynotes when it’s talking about its partners. Philips was one of the first companies to come out with a smart lighting solution called Hue, it allowed people to control lighting using an app on their smartphone. Philips Hue smart bulbs are quite popular and users don’t have to worry about changing them once HomeKit arrives because Philips has confirmed that existing Hue bulbs will work with HomeKit.
For those who are unaware, HomeKit is the home automation platform that Apple unveiled last year. It’s working with partners to develop hardware that works with the platform, and can be controlled through compatible Apple devices.
Philips confirmed today that all existing Hue light sources are going to support HomeKit, the company has also said that it will aid users to upgrade their system. It didn’t reveal though whether a software update will be required to add HomeKit support or whether a new hub will be required to control the Hue lights using HomeKit.
Philips didn’t go in much detail about this process today, as the final touches are still being applied to the finer details, it only said that we should look out for detailed information on the matter this September.
Filed in . Read more about Connected Objects, HomeKit and Philips Hue.