Ikea

Apple is not among the founding members of a new "metaverse" standards body that includes Meta, Microsoft, Sony, Epic Games, Nvidia, Adobe, and others (via Reuters). Announced in a press release, "the Metaverse Standards Forum brings together companies and standards organizations to foster alignment on requirements and priorities for metaverse interoperability standards, and accelerate their ...

Swedish furniture and accessory store Ikea today announced the upcoming launch of the Dirigera smart hub, which supports Matter. Matter is a universal smart home automation connectivity standard that is being adopted by Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and other manufacturers. It promises smart home interoperability, and is just beginning to roll out this year. The Dirigera is an upgrade from ...

IKEA is rolling out Apple HomeKit support for the Motion sensor and Shortcut button in its TRÅDFRI range of smart home products, according to release notes for an upcoming Gateway software update. First spotted by Dutch blog iCulture, the next Gateway firmware version (1.13.21) coming down the line will include ‌HomeKit‌ support for the sensor and button, allowing the accessories to be used...

Last year, Apple, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, which includes Ikea, Samsung, and Philips, announced a new working group known as "Project Connected Home over IP" that set about developing an IP-based open-source connectivity standard for smart home products, with a focus on increased compatibility, security, and simplified development for manufacturers. The group has today announced a ...

IKEA has started rolling out a HomeKit software update for its FYRTUR electric blinds, part of its TRADFRI line of smart home products. Multiple users on Reddit have indicated receiving a new 1.10.28 firmware update for their TRADFRI gateway, which allows IKEA smart home products to work with platforms like HomeKit. The rollout appears to be starting in the United States, so users in other...

IKEA teamed up with Sonos to launch a new line of smart speakers called "Symfonisk," and as of today, those speakers are available for purchase in IKEA retail stores across the United States. There are two Symfonisk products that are available: A Symfonisk Table Lamp with Wi-Fi Speaker ($179) and the Symfonisk Wi-Fi Bookshelf Speaker ($99). The Symfonisk Table Lamp functions as a standard ...

Ikea's affordable Trådfri smart plugs that first debuted in November are now able to connect to HomeKit after an update to the Trådfri firmware that was released yesterday. After installing new firmware, Trådfri outlets can be added to the Home app and controlled alongside the rest of your ‌HomeKit‌ products. Ikea sells the Trådfri smart plugs for just $9.99, which is much cheaper than...

Ikea today revealed more information about its upcoming line of Sonos smart speakers, which the Swedish furniture company has dubbed "Symfonisk" (via The Verge). There will be two products in the line: The Symfonisk Table Lamp with Wi-Fi Speaker ($179) and Symfonisk Bookshelf with Wi-Fi Speaker ($99). Image from Ikea/Sonos via The Verge Each device will be controlled through the Sonos app,...

IKEA today confirmed its plans to announce the Symfonisk line of speakers during the Milan Furniture Fair, which takes place next month. The Symfonisk speakers come out of a long-term partnership between IKEA and Sonos, resulting in unique products like a speaker that doubles as a bookshelf. Neither company has released information about what the final version of the speakers will look like, ...

Ikea this week added to its line of HomeKit-connected smart home products with the launch of the Kadrilj and Fyrtur smart roller blinds, which are now available for purchase in Germany. Both of the smart blind products are powered via a battery that allows users to raise or lower them through an included remote control, a smartphone app, or through Alexa, Google Assistant, or HomeKit. Demo ...

Ikea's much-anticipated Trådfri smart outlets are now available for purchase in both the UK and the United States, providing a super affordable soon-to-be HomeKit-compatible smart plug solution for those who want to take advantage of HomeKit without spending a lot of money. The Trådfri smart plug can be purchased for just $9.99 (or GBP9.99 in the UK), which is much cheaper than other...

Last month Ikea began rolling out the HomeKit-compatible Trådfri smart plug to Sweden and a few other countries in the European Union. Today, HomeKit News spotted the same smart plugs in listings on the United States Ikea website, suggesting a launch in the U.S. sometime later this month. Ikea's Trådfri smart plug connects to the company's existing Trådfri Gateway ($29.99), which connects a...

Following yesterday's announcement from Sonos that AirPlay 2 will be coming to its speakers this July, more details about the company's partnership with IKEA have now emerged, after first being revealed in December. In a press release shared by the Swedish furniture maker, the two companies detail a "long-term partnership" that's beginning with a new range of speakers called "Symfonisk" (via The...

Swedish furniture seller IKEA has unveiled the first in a new line of minimalist Bluetooth speakers from the company. Called Eneby, the Scandinavian-styled units come in 8-inch and 12-inch sizes, can be wall- or stand- mounted, and are made to fit in IKEA's Kallax and Eket storage systems. The plastic speakers come with a mesh polyester fabric front panel that can be removed to expose...

After multiple false starts and delays, IKEA today has updated its Trådfri iOS app [Direct Link] with a note that states the company is finally rolling out "Apple HomeKit integration for voice control of your lights with Siri" (via Macerkopf) [Google Translate]. After updating the Trådfri gateway, owners of the smart light bulbs will have to enter an 8-digit code to manually add their bulbs ...

IKEA has had to backtrack once more on its claim that the company's Trådfri Smart Lighting range is ready to work with Apple HomeKit. According to German tech blog SmartDroid, IKEA began rolling out an update yesterday to owners to bring support for Apple's smart home platform as well as Amazon Alexa, only for the company to announce on its blog that many users were reporting "technical...

IKEA today has launched a new "tribute campaign" to Apple and the inductive wireless charging features of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, playing off of popular Apple catchphrases like "This changes everything" and "Think different" (via DesignTAXI and The Verge). Images via The Verge The campaign is called "This Charges Everything," and includes multiple other references to Apple's advertising...

Following the release of iOS 11, IKEA's much-anticipated augmented reality app has been released on the App Store. Called IKEA Place, the app lets you browse through a wide selection of IKEA products, all of which can be placed right in your home using the new augmented reality functionality built into iOS 11. Chairs, tables, sofas, storage solutions, and more are available. IKEA has added...

IKEA's Trådfri smart lighting system is now officially compatible with HomeKit, Apple's smart home management platform. The support was confirmed in IKEA's response to a question posted on its Facebook page this morning, after a customer noticed a change in the technical specifications on the company's Trådfri product page. According to a >thread in the Philips Hue developer support...

At WWDC this year, Apple senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi performed a demo of the company's new augmented reality platform, ARKit, while mentioning popular furniture company IKEA as an upcoming partner in the technology. Similarly, Apple CEO Tim Cook referenced an IKEA AR partnership in a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. Now, Ikea executive Michael...