Mikey Campbell
Apple recently revamped its online list of HomeKit-compatible products to include status updates on upcoming products. While the catalog includes products from a number of manufacturers, it fails to mention a security camera from major brand Nokia's Withings subsidiary.
Apple's new HomeKit accessories webpage provides iOS users with a comprehensive directory of devices supporting the company's smart home platform. It seems Apple is also tracking development status of forthcoming products, as it assigns "announced" and "coming soon" qualifiers alongside links to manufacturer websites.
The list contains well over 100 individual products from a variety of third party firms, including small Chinese outfits, categorizing each into one of 15 categories: lights, switches, outlets, thermostats, windows, fans, air conditioners, sensors, security, locks, cameras, doorbells, garage doors, bridges and range extenders.
Notably absent from Apple's collection of upcoming wares is Withings' Home Plus, an internet-connected security camera announced at CES in January. Marketed as a security camera and baby monitor, Home Plus features an HD camera with low light recording capabilities, microphone and speaker for two-way communications, light and music programs and environmental sensors for monitoring air quality.
The Home Plus is basically an upgraded version of the already available Withings Home, but with support for Apple's HomeKit baked in. Home was previously featured in Apple's online store, but the product and references to it were removed in December when the Cupertino tech giant scrubbed its website of all Withings devices. The move came when a legal feud erupted between Apple and Withings parent company Nokia.
It seems Apple is carrying forward a no-Withings policy to its new HomeKit accessories webpage, as Home Plus is nowhere to be found. Only two devices, the D-Link Omna 180 CAM HD and Kidde RemoteLync Camera with RemoteLync bridge, are listed in the "cameras" category.
Withings once enjoyed happy retail alliance with Apple for more than two years, even after Nokia purchased the French accessories firm for $192 million last April. The partnership quickly soured when Nokia filed suit against the iPhone maker for allegedly violating 32 patents. Apple released its own legal hounds and lodged a lawsuit against nine patent holdings firms and Nokia itself, claiming the entities are participating in a licensing conspiracy.
The legal war quickly escalated, with Nokia lodging 14 additional complaints in the U.S. and Japan covering a total of 40 patents.
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18 Comments
It probably didn't help that the Withings products were poorly received by the public, usually scoring in the medium range because video footage couldn't be downloaded, there was no scheduling and the blocking feature (which turns off the camera), didn't turn off the microphone.
A very patchy product indeed considering the price of it versus competitors.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
1) I'm not worried about it with my Withings digital scale, unless Obama can turn it into a camera, because that's not a flattering angle on anyone.
2) The CIA leaks should be a boon for HomeKit-enabled devices.
This is just sad for us consumers. Withings products for health tracking are pretty good, scale is better than Fitbit. If Apple is giving Withings the cold shoulder it would be nice to see some alternative Apple products provide the same capacities.