New accessories launch and Apple's embrace of Matter

On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we cover several new products that have launched, go hands on with a new charger, and talk about Apple's perhaps self-destructive embrace of Matter.

This week IFA kicks off in Berlin so ahead of the show, we saw several products hitting the market. Many smart home related.

We got a few new Qi2 chargers, such as the Twelve South Butterfly SE, the Nomad Stand One Max gen-3, the Journey Axie, and the Zens Quattro Charger Pro 4.

The Butterfly SE is a more affordable version of the original that comes in new colors and is made of plastic, while the Nomad Stand One Max now supports StandBy mode with its updated design.

The Journey Axie is a travel charger with a built-in Qi2 charger and battery pack. Finally, the Zens Quattro Charger Pro 4 has four magnetic Qi2 charging pads for powering all your wireless gear.

More directly in the smart home, the ThorBolt latch lock is now available. This has a keypad and fingerprint reader along with native Apple Home support and it works over Thread.

The Lion LuBase hub launched, using a proprietary LuAir wireless communication method. To go with it is a new wireless smart bulb but buttons and presence sensors are also coming soon.

We wrap up the show talking more about Apple's steadfast support of Matter. We've heard that the company has stopped updating its own HomeKit Accessory Protocol in favor of it.

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