The tech world has been abuzz for the last few weeks eagerly anticipating the announcement from Apple of an iPhone 5. Well, it’s here and your local Apple store is guaranteed to be even more crowded in the coming weeks as the new device is unveiled. But as I followed along with the Apple press conference I started seeing a number of the iPhone 5 featuers and changes to iOS 6 that can impact the home.
While our phone is something we take with us everywhere, studies have shown that the primary place where we use them is at home. With the iPhone 5 that will be even more so. Apple has positioned the iPhone to be the universal remote for your home. It can change the channels on your TV, get your recipes, show you how to fix a toilet and even control your air conditioning.
The updates to the new iOS 6 are changing the way we can share information within our homes. The new photo stream sharing capabilities makes it even simpler for sharing photos within a household or with relatives elsewhere. One of the biggest complaints I get from my wife about taking pictures with my iPhone is that she can’t see them until I upload them or how can she share them with the kids when I’m at work. Photo sharing has become such a big part of our lives and this update addresses that nicely.
iCloud tabs is another great update for your household. While your iPhone, iPad or whatever smartphone you use can do pretty much anything there are still some things that you just want to do on the computer. Kids homework is one example. Creating a presentation is another. So often times when I’m working online on the computer and the kids need to use it, I have to reopen everything on my iPad or iPhone. iCloud tabs looks to allow you to seamless shift your online browsing experience between devices. This is a favorite feature for the Marine household.
Finally, a house with Apple TV has the advantage of possible the simplest and most inexpensive media center known to man. With OS updates on Macbooks, plus the enhancements coming on the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, your Apple TV can basically take any type of media on any of your Apple devices and share it on your TV. Photos on your iPhone 5? Done. Videos on your iPad? No problem. Music library on iTunes? Easy as pie.
As more elements in our homes become more connected, the more our phones, tablets, and PCs will come primary resources to help run our homes. While the buzz around the iPhone 5 may be on Facebook integration, 4G LTE data speeds and Siri updates, the homeowner will also see implications for how all the data and media that surrounds us can be better shared inside and outside of the four walls of our homes.
Image courtesy of TechBeach
