Apple Hires Ex-Microsoft Exec to Revamp Smart Home Business

CNBC reports that Apple has hired ex-Microsoft exec and former CEO of a smart lock company to revamp Apple's home initiatives.

Hiring Jadallah is the latest signal that Apple plans to get serious about its own efforts in the home. Recently, the company acquired a start-up called Pullstring, a start-up that specializes in voice-enabled toys. That purchase could help the smartphone maker become the center of a connected living room.

Apple has been making movement into the home space for years, with the introduction of HomeKit as well as the HomePod which is powered by Siri. ‌HomePod‌, however, has lagged behind its competitors despite making steady improvements. Apple's latest hire as well as recent acquisition of a voice technology company seems to indicate that they are refocusing their efforts.


Jadallah was most recently CEO of failed smart lock company Otto. Otto was described as a "luxury smart lock":

With Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios packed inside the surprisingly compact design, Otto promises to let you or anyone you choose inside with just a touch whenever it senses an authorized phone within range.

That company ultimately failed, but it appears that Jadallah will be applying that knowledge forward at Apple.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan91 Avatar
80 months ago
They are way behind google and amazon. Siri has to become smarter and Apple has to be more serious about a smart speaker than just the HomePod. It’s fine, but it can’t be their only entry. Amazon and Google penetrate millions of homes by have stuff like the echo dot and google home mini - cheap entries into smart speakers.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
80 months ago
Apple is definitely in need of some help in this area.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kai Wang Avatar
80 months ago
Joke’s on you. My generation will never be able to afford a home lol
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
80 months ago
Apple us a major laggard in home space.

Abandoned airport.

Could have had “ Secure” brand with thermostats, security, smoke/CO, instead of leaving space open for Amazon.

Amazon is ring fencing Apple in at Apple’s peril.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFan91 Avatar
80 months ago
You should update your knowledge. HomePod entered the field behind the others who were already established but they haven’t stood still this past year. In recent tests, HomePod is now ahead ('https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/apple-siri-vs-alexa-google-assistant-loup-ventures.html') of ('https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/apple-siri-vs-alexa-google-assistant-loup-ventures.html') Alexa ('https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/apple-siri-vs-alexa-google-assistant-loup-ventures.html') in its ability to answer questions, though still behind Google Assistant.

In terms of capabilities, what Amazon calls “Skills”, HomePod is quickly catching up with Siri Shortcuts, enabling iOS apps to perform functions from a HomePod. What’s more, Shortcuts are easy for developers to turn on in Xcode, rather than having to purposefully write a Skill like Alexa requires. If they have an app, then turning on Shortcuts makes it compatible with HomePod. So, we’ll see Siri catch up quickly. Hundreds of apps have already added Shortcuts in the 5 months that it’s been out.
You should update your reading comprehension. Apple is behind Google and Amazon in smart home adoption and market penetration, which is clearly what I was talking about.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dguisinger Avatar
80 months ago
The brain drain at Apple is so bad that they didn't have anyone internally with an idea of how to run their smart home team? Seriously? Leadership starts at the top. They can't get Siri right, they can't get the Macs right.... who really needs an Apple self driving car or another expletive streaming service? The only part of Apple right now doing a great job is their custom silicon team. I really wish they'd shake up company leadership, the fish rots from the head. All of their teams seem to be running along with no clear vision.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)