A couple years ago (about 10), I read an article about Bill Gates being able to control a ton of things at home from the luxury of his office. It might have been bunk, and it could very well have been a rumour, but the thought never left my mind. Today, we’re starting to see it as a realistic possibility.
News out today from Patently Apple has shown that Apple Inc. is working feverishly to create an ecosystem in our homes, so interconnected that we might be able to use electricity to network our homes, and control devices. Networking over electricity lines has been something that Linksys and Cicso has been working on for a couple of years now, but complete device integration hasn’t become a reality… yet.
Given the patent filings, and the rumours out of Google about putting their OS in refrigerators, we might be looking at the next format war–our homes.
Could you imagine being able to do this remotely, from the luxury of your cubicle? Right after installation, I’d have it turn on the oven to start dinner, queue up some music, start up the jacuzzi, then let my pants hit the ground when I walk through the door. What would you do?
[via Patently Apple]