Up until a little while ago, Apple was an exclusive ‘Members Only’ club that kept its doors closed to all those it deemed beneath it (read: all non-apple owners). But now, it seems that Apple is being forced to finally open up its doors to the mere mortals of the smartphone realm.
The latest step towards the new ‘open’ Apple is the introduction of AirPlay2 and HomeKit to a bunch of smart TVs. The announcements of the tie-up with Apple came from almost all smart TV manufacturers, with Apple’s frenemy Samsung leading the pack.
What it means is that Apple Lovers can easily stream videos (or mirror) from their beloved iOS and Mac devices on their smart TVs. And this is just what AirPlay2 compatibility allows. With HomeKit in your arsenal, you can control your lights, doorbell, and the rest of your smart-home appliances without looking away from the latest episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (can I get a ‘Nine-Nine!’).
Samsung, in fact, went a step further by announcing that they’ll be introducing the iTunes video store, with full Bixby support, to their smart TVs. This little bomb about a collaboration between the two competing tech giants was followed by AirPlay2 and HomeKit compability announcements from LG, Vizio, and Sony.
AirPlay2 and HomeKit features are a part of LG’s new Alpha 9 Processor, the features of which are set to be a part of all products releasing this year. As for Vizio, their new SmartCast 3.0 Software Platform, too, has AirPlay2 and HomeKit features, and the best part about it is that all existing Vizio SmartCast Home TV users will get these features in the form of a software update. Sony’s new Z9G Series, A9G Series, and X950G Series TV will also come integrated with these two features in addition to the Android TV that the Z9G and A9G Series already run on.
Now you may ask, “What is the cause behind the long cold Apple’s sudden affability?”. The answer to that is quite simple – revenue from services, which Apple is attempting to increase in the next couple of years. Additionally, this also plays into their plan of launching their very own video streaming service with a bunch of original shows – an endeavour that really wouldn’t be viable if they only made it accessible to the handful of people who own Apple TVs.
Well, whatever you’re doing Apple, we’re loving the fact that you’re breaking free of the high school girl clique image. You do you, and remember, everyone loves a team player.
