Microsoft is planning to turn Windows 10 PCs into smart home hubs in next major update, scheduled for September. According to internal documents seen by The Verge, HomeHub will support devices from Philips Hue, Nest, SmartThings, Insteon, and Wink.
The update is aimed primarily at ‘kitchen-PCs’ that are used by all the family, and Microsoft is reportedly working with HP and Lenovo to create PCs similar to Amazon’s Echo Show, announced a few days ago.
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Shared calendars, to-do lists, notes, and apps will also be part of the update.
Users will be able to change settings on smart home devices from across the room with Cortana, Microsoft’s own virtual assistant. Even though it will be available to all PCs, the company is definitely shooting in a similar direction to Amazon.
Microsoft is digging IoT
Microsoft made major strides in the enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) market last year, with impressive growth in cloud, IoT, and enterprise computing sales. This is the company’s first major dip into the commercial side of IoT, and it comes later than its enterprise rivals.
Amazon has already taken a chunk of the commercial market with the Echo and its Web Services (AWS) platform. Google has also moved into both enterprise and commercial, launching the Home hub last year.
Microsoft has an event on May 23 in Shanghai, where it is expected to unveil the HomeHub feature. The company may call on developers and hardware manufacturers to begin buildings products tailored for those types of experiences at the event.
