Apple Says HomeKit Accessories Coming in June

Apple said on Thursday to expect the first HomeKit automation accessories in June. Responding to a Fortune report that HomeKit was delayed as Apple worked on stabilizing the platform, Apple said in a statement that the first HomeKit products will be released "next month."

"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," Apple said in a statement given to The Wall Street Journal.

HomeKit was announced at Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) in 2014, but the company has yet to announce an official launch for the home automation platform. The technology is intended to make it easy for consumers to connect smart devices such as smartbulbs to their network and then control them from their Apple devices.

Fortune reported Thursday morning that Apple was delaying launch of the platform while it stabilized services and reduced the size of code base. According to that report, Apple had decided to push HomeKit's launch to August or September, but Apple's direct response says otherwise...

...but, Apple is controlling access to HomeKit through its Made for iPhone certification process, and the reality is that it's possible there is fire behind this smoke. Fortune's sources appear to be in the accessory market, and it's conceivable that Apple is delaying certification for some products—for instance battery operated devices—while launching HomeKit with products that don't run afoul of whatever Apple is trying to improve.

Either way, Apple hadn't announced a launch date until now. If HomeKit and the certified products allowed to hit the market work, no one will care about whether or not there was a delay.

Lastly, WWDC 2015 takes place in June. Expect to learn more about Apple's next step with this technology then.