The smart speaker systems like the Amazon Echo and Google Home appears to be the future in smart home technology. Microsoft won’t be creating a smart speaker as they have something far more interesting: turning their operating system into a central hub instead.
According to a report by Windows Central, Microsoft is looking to implement a new feature called “Home Hub”. This feature appears to be being worked on even before the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. More of Home Hub’s features is expected to show up in the Creators Update, with additional features being added with future Windows 10 builds that are currently codenamed Redstone 3 and Redstone 4.
Home Hub’s feature set will be based around Cortana. Under this system, Cortana would have access to both shared content as well as contents of the individual user who has signed in. Microsoft will also be building a dedicated “Connected Home” app into Home Hub, allowing it to function like a true blue smart home hub as well. This would make Windows 10 the central hub for all smart home devices such as lights, doors, locks and more.
Does all of that sound exciting? Well, don’t get too excited just yet as Home Hubs is still in its early stages. Windows Central has warned that delays and cancellations could mean that Home Hubs may be scrapped entirely in its worst case scenario. However, assuming that everything goes well, the Home Hubs system won’t be going live until the Redstone 3 build of Windows 10 which is expected to launch in late-2017.
Source: Windows Central, Engadget
