Conforme llegamos a la undécima hora de especulación de la WWDC, las pistas sugieren que Apple por último puede progresar los hogares inteligentes, y por extensión, las oficinas inteligentes, los guardes o bien cualquier otra cosa con dispositivos inteligentes, con un sistema operativo homeo para unir las partes dispares de su estrategia actual.</p><h2><strong>'iOS, watchOS, tvOS y homeOS'</strong></h2><p>Esto se sugirió en un anuncio de contratación publicado en el sitio de la compañía, que mentó por vez primera un sistema homeOS (antes que se revisase el anuncio para quitar la referencia).
The original job posting for a Senior iOS Engineer for the Apple Music team (discovered by JotaEle Diaz and Javier Lacort) read: "Are you passionate about music? The Apple Music team seeks stellar software engineers to create listening experiences amazing for our XNUMX billion+ active users. Our team makes a huge impact: we're one of the first apps on each and every new Apple platform, and our app appears frequently in Keynotes and marketing materials. Probably the experiences you activate Tweeted and posted to weblogs across the Internet.You'll work with systems engineers at Apple, learning the inner workings of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and homeOS, and optimizing your code for performance like only Apple can.Join Join our team and make a real difference to music lovers around the globe.The homeOS benchmark was changed to HomePod once the announcement caught the eye of Apple watchers online. But its initial inclusion has opened the door to speculation as to what the company might have in mind for next week's event.
Why does Apple need a homeOS?
Apple's current approach to the smart home has evolved over time and now seems somewhat ad hoc. It consists of multiple complementary solutions that Apple tries to combine in the somewhat opaque Home application. The strategy relies on services like Apple Music, products like Apple TV or HomePod, third-party smart devices and technologies like UWB or the recently named Matter interconnection standard to tie all the threads together. The overall effect is smart, but not super smart. What Apple discovered is that these disparate devices also present disparate user experiences. So while it's becoming simpler to install smart devices around your home, the home hasn't gotten particularly smart yet. While Made for HomeKit devices integrate well with existing systems, not every smart device does the same, and while Matter makes things a bit easier, it's still a bit messy. Apple's Home app is getting a bit smarter and can automate certain tasks, like monitoring lights at certain times of day. Yet we are still in a space somewhere between the Flintstones and the Jetsons. But the idea of a home (or office) smart enough to understand and forecast your needs hasn't quite become a mass-market reality these days. This is, I think, an environment that homeOS aims to advance.
Where there is technology, there is data
The reason your home needs its own operating system is in the data. I look at it this way: When the systems in your home (or factory, warehouse, or office) are outfitted with sensors and some degree of built-in AI, they start producing data. This data should provide actionable information and allow your personal computer to start doing work on your behalf. This does not happen on HomeKit. Data is siled and largely unexamined, which means this is a missed opportunity. Logically, Apple's commitment to user privacy is part of what has inhibited it. But with machine learning now available for every Apple chip, on-device (or at-home) data analysis for smarter living and working is, I suppose, a reality waiting to happen. One can't help but wonder if Apple would now consider supplying Apple Silicon processors to third-party accessory developers in the smart home space.
How could we use such systems?
Think Energy Usage – Imagine if every device in your home or office were tracking your activity and sharing energy usage information. Theoretically, it is considerably simpler to target energy consumption, identify spikes, and work to minimize future employment. We know that Apple cares about these things: its environmental reports point to the environmental cost of using its devices, and it is committed to reducing it. The company accepts that while product manufacturing accounts for XNUMX%, product use accounts for XNUMX% of its current carbon footprint. Even a XNUMX% reduction in the latter would help the company meet its environmental goals, and smart tracking of energy use could help identify where electricity is being wasted. Undoubtedly, it would give considerably more useful and in-depth information than the stupid rate data you get on so-called "smart meters". Logically, the ability to mechanize a space, explore communication between devices (intercom), and combine data captured across multiple smart devices may be part of what appears to be Apple's strategic focus here.
Next
We can't be sure how Apple intends to market this "homeOS". The fact that it was later removed from the ad makes it a moot point. Although I get the feeling that continuing on this path would help an Apple connected home become an evolutionary animal capable of meeting future needs. Smart homes should be smart, and there should be an operating system for that... That may never happen; It's just a recruitment ad, after all, and the homeOS benchmark was suppressed pretty quickly when it was noticed. But I'm still curious to see if a possible implementation (if any) comes across as a hybrid of its Shortcut Automation app and HomeKit with a dose of Siri, or if Apple takes a more nuanced view. Other than that, it's important to note that if Apple is turning Home into an operating system, it suggests that the company would also look to allow developers to build apps and services to run on that operating system. Apple's plan may be less evolved than that (if, indeed, it exists), but the timing of this leak in particular raises more questions about what the company intends to share at WWDC. Two thousand and twenty one. Follow me on Twitter or join me at the AppleHolic bar & grill and Apple discussion groups on MeWe.
<p>Copyright © dos mil veintiuno IDG Communications, Inc.</p>