Apple states HomeKit-based devices to surface in June, refutes reports of delays

The HomeKit stuff will begin arriving in June according to Apple.

Refuting a recent report claiming delays with the home automation software platform would push back the launch until August or September, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller went on record as saying that “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.”

The statement comes on the heels of an article in Fortune stating the the software platform that HomeKit is built upon was experiencing problems and that the introduction of the first HomeKit devices were being delayed.

For its part, Apple has never said when HomeKit-compliant devices would start hitting the market, but one developer working with Apple on the platform had told Re/code earlier this year that new products would be ready in May or June.

Apple unveiled HomeKit nearly a year ago, at the Worldwide Developers Conference last June. The idea was that Apple could turn the iPhone or iPad into a command system for the myriad smart-home devices like thermostats, garage doors and locks. Apple didn’t shed much detail about how HomeKit might work at the time, but the company said it would use a “common protocol” to help devices talk with each other and link securely with an iPhone or iPad.

Apple has said very little about HomeKit over the last year, fueling concerns that executing on that grand vision was more complicated than the company had imagined.

Fortune said that Apple’s code for controlling smaller, battery-powered devices required too much memory and that Apple was working to shrink the code back down to size.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via The Wall Street Journal and Fortune