Fortune: HomeKit delayed until fall. Apple: No, it's not.
Apple's upcoming HomeKit platform has been the latest craze for the Apple rumor mill, with sources saying the smart-home software might not be unveiled at WWDC.
This file photo shows the logo of Apple in Shanghai. In a research note Wednesday, April 3, 2013, Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets says a 60-inch Apple TV or "iTV" will go on sale later this year.
Eugene Hoshiko/AP/File
Those who have been eagerly anticipating the official unveiling of Apple’s software platform, HomeKit, may have to hold tight a little longer.
According to insiders who spoke with Fortune, the hinted May or June release might be pushed back to August or September as developers are “struggling to stabilize certain aspects of the software,” which is designed to work with the upcoming Apple smart-home accessories.
While Apple never announced an official release date for HomeKit, partners at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January had said the software should be expected to roll out in the spring, with one source telling Re/code to expect it on Mother’s or Father’s Day.
But alas, if Fortune’s reports are correct, Apple fans should expect a much different announcement about HomeKit at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) next month. According to Fortune’s sources, some of the problems with HomeKit include issues with getting lighting to function properly. Part of the code involved in the process “blew up,” requiring “way too much memory for smaller, battery-powered devices.” Apple is reportedly back at the drawing board, figuring out how to shrink the code down in size.
It’s been nearly a year since Apple originally announced its plans to help create a smart home, offering little information about the tech at last year's WWDC. The only clues that have been offered up have been through leaks. The HomeKit platform was designed to make the set-up process for smart devices into the Apple ecosystem as painless as possible and work on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.
But in an interesting twist, Apple told the Wall Street Journal that consumers should expect the first HomeKit-enabled smart-home devices next month.
“HomeKit [hardware certification] has been available for just a few months and we already have dozens of partners who have committed to bringing HomeKit accessories to market and we’re looking forward to the first ones coming next month,” says Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller to WSJ.
This refutes claims of the delays, but as usual, we’ll all have to wait until next month to see what Apple actually has up its sleeve, whether that it be a smart-home ace or joker.