Ok, I should give a disclaimer first....I am a big fan of most of Apple's products. I am a dedicated Mac user and there are way too many IOS devices around my house. I also have 3 AppleTVs and I use a Time Capsule to tie it all together. While I always have complaints here or there, I do find that Apple does a very good job at tying it all together.
It is for that reason that I cannot figure out why Apple hasn't jumped all over the M2M / IoT bandwagon so fast....
Here is why they need to move faster:
Time Capsule / Airport and Apple TV would see a sales spike
AppleTV has been a popular product, but despite its millions of units sold, it has never been a product that even Apple took seriously. For the most part, it is really just a conduit for Apple users to buy more content from Apple through iTunes, as well as to help provide a differentiator for Apple products through AirMirroring. How hard would it be for Apple to make this product a hub for a wide variety of M2M products for the home? As well, AppleTVs are starting to find their way a little more into offices, and this would undoubtedly help their adoption in the SMB market.
The more intriguing product may be the Time Capsule / AirPort. I like the Time Capsule, as it does a good job of backing up data, but for the most part, it is a very affordable way to access the Internet (considering the costs of other routers). These devices are definitely under-utilized and Apple does not do that good of a job in promoting it to non-Mac geeks like me. I think they might find more activity in the non-Mac world (and even in the Mac world) if this device became a true hub for your home...
ITunes / iCloud - A great way to get the "word out"
First, iTunes is a free download, so it is readily available to all users. As well, let's face it.....it is a pretty widely used platform. I wonder if this software can be used much more in a possible M2M application. However, iCloud would definitely see a spike and might be the better conduit for an M2M deployment. The application allows for seamless information transfer across a number of devices.
Imagine an alarm happening at your home....it could be first registered on your ITunes on your PC or Mac. You could also set it up (on a Time Capsule) to send the alerts to any of your IOS devices at the same time. Finally, with the further integration of IOS and OSX, it would be quite easy to write an application that would work seamlessly on both platforms to notify you and take action (dispatch authorities, reset the alarm, etc).
Apple Store would be a great channel
Ok, maybe I don't want to promote the Apple store as the ideal place to buy M2M equipment...let's face it, aren't they busy enough! However, that doesn't stop the fact that the Apple store is an ideal place to sell Apple sensors and software (whether online or in the mall). The Apple store would be able to easily upsell M2M equipment, as well as potentially AppleTV and Time Capsules.
Bottom line
Ok, I think Tim Cook is a smart man, and I am sure that they have a lot of great ideas coming out (not sure if an iTV or iWatch are among them, but that is for them to decide). I think it is inevitable that Apple gets into this space. Based on their model of using devices to cross-sell you on other products, it just makes too much sense for them not to.
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