Why Apple must turn HomeKit into homeOS

Apple’s mooted decision to develop its own smart home products is an inevitable next step for a company that knows the kind of business growth it achieved with iPhone is unlikely to be repeated.

Chasing growth

Think about it like this: Smartphones have connected the planet:

• There are around 3 billion users in the world today.
• Around a third of those devices are iPhones.
• Global population sits at around 7.7 billion.

This means that across most of the planet, if you don’t have a smartphone you probably know someone who does. It also means the rate of growth is slowing as post-adoption replacement purchasing habits take hold.

Most people use their devices for as long as they can before they upgrade them. That’s why Apple is focusing on customer experience and longevity, as it hopes to convince existing iPhone users to choose a new iPhone next time they upgrade.

At the same time, market growth is slowing. So where can Apple find iPhone/iPod levels of growth?

I don’t think it can, at least, not with one product (yet). But it can with several.