Apple may be planning on turning the Apple TV set-top box into much more than a simple streaming media player, following reports that the latest software beta adds HomeKit support - meaning it would be able to control, or at least communicate with, any connected Smart Home gadgets using the newly launched API.
According to AppleInsider, the latest Apple TV software beta adds HomeKit support to the tiny streaming box for the first time, potentially turning it into a central hub for iOS-compatible connected devices. Logging into iCloud through an Apple TV registers it as a "remote access peer" for the HomeKit app, according to an iOS developer speaking to the website. Once the feature is activated, "information from [the user's] connected home will automatically be synced" with the device.
Because both Apple TV and HomeKit use Apple's CloudKit to store device, software and network information in the cloud, and Keychain to record passwords and login information, Apple TV could potentially become the gateway that lets you control HomeKit devices when outside the house, as well as when you're at home and connected to your Wi-Fi network.
This isn't the first time HomeKit features were discovered in an Apple TV software beta, but it is the first time Apple itself has acknowledged them, listing their inclusion in release notes for developers. Whether the feature will make its way to all Apple TV devices, or if it will be reserved for the latest model, remain to be seen.
The set-top box itself is overdue for an upgrade, having been quietly refreshed in January 2013 with an updated processor. Otherwise, the design has stayed unchanged since March 2012. With Apple expected to host an event in the next few weeks to reveal updated iPads and launch OS X Yosemite, it's possible a new Apple TV will also be making an appearance.
If HomeKit is going to be one of it's killer features, there's a good chance a new generation box could come equipped with an always-on microphone and Siri support for controlling HomeKit devices with your voice - we'll just have to wait until later this month to see what Apple has planned.
