🏡 Smarter smart homes

Plus: Yosemite's melting glaciers | Friday, November 04, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Robin Powered   Axios What's Next By Jennifer A. Kingson, Joann Muller and Alex Fitzpatrick · Nov 04, 2022 Smart home tech is great when it works — which it often doesn't. But a new effort called "Matter" could solve a lot of our smart home woes, Jennifer reports today. Today's newsletter is 1,141 words ... 4½ minutes.     1 big thing: Smarter smart homes Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   The halcyon day when all our smart home devices talk to one another — and reduce our energy bills — took a giant step forward Thursday with the introduction of Matter, a widely-backed connectivity standard, Jennifer A. Kingson reports. Why it matters: Many consumers are leery of buying Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as smart light bulbs, blinds and door locks, fearing they're hard to set up or won't work with one another. Matter is supposed to make setup a snap — and solve interoperability problems between different manufacturers' products. Driving the news: In a splashy announcement, the consortium developing Matter said it had formally released version 1.0, and that hundreds of products were being certified — ensuring that we'll start seeing the "Matter" logo on shelves soon. More than 300 companies are on board so far, including powerful backers such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung, with more signing up by the day. 190 products are already Matter-certified (or close). How it works: Customers will be able to mix and match smart home products from different manufacturers — robotic vacuums, light switches, doorbells, thermostats, appliances, entertainment systems, etc. — and Matter will (ideally) ensure that they all talk to one another. The Matter brand logo — soon to become familiar? 🔌 State of play: On the product side, Amazon — for one — says it'll have "17 different Echo devices, plugs, switches and bulbs with Android setup" working with Matter in December. Some of those devices have already been released and are being updated with Matter support. Many more new gadgets will follow next year. Manufacturers have shown lots of interest in getting their products Matter-certified. "We've already had 20 new companies diving in, putting their weight into integrating new devices," said Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which oversaw Matter's development. What they're saying: With Matter, "smart home devices will feel as fast and reliable as your old light switch, while doing so much more," Richardson added. 💡 Bonus: Matter might be "good news for your energy bill," said Sitao Ma of Schneider Electric, which sells a smart home energy management system. When all of a household's energy-sucking products talk to one another, "we can monitor" what's happening, "and we can control it and maximize the optimization." Yes, but: As Axios managing editor for technology Scott Rosenberg put it, "you never know when these standards are going to take off or flop." Matter's release has been plagued with delays, and its governing organization, formerly known as the Zigbee Alliance, has morphed over time. Most consumers haven't caught IoT fever yet: Just 39% of U.S. households own at least one smart home device, per Ben Wood of the tech research firm CCS Insight. Ease of use is only one concern — security and privacy are others. The bottom line: There's a lot of brainpower, money and goodwill pouring into Matter and its tantalizing promise of device interoperability and smarter homes. And that's a promising sign. Share this story.     2. Elon follows Trump's playbook Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Christian Marquardt/Pool/Getty Images   Elon Musk's chaotic new Twitter carries a distinct echo of Donald Trump's White House, Axios' Scott Rosenberg writes. The big picture: The world already knew Musk's shoot-from-the-hip Twitter posting style recalled the former president's. Now it appears his management approach owes a debt to Trump as well. Musk's first days as Twitter CEO have such a familiar feel because the world's richest man is leading his new company using the same playbook Trump did as he tried to change the U.S. government's direction: Rely on an inner circle chosen for loyalty more than expertise. Seize and hold the public's attention by rolling out new proposals and ideas on Twitter before they've been internally vetted. Keep the existing organization in a state of uncertainty and fear. Yes, but: There are big differences between Trump and Musk. Musk is a veteran business leader with success running companies like Tesla and SpaceX, whereas Trump took the presidency with zero government experience. Musk has no limit on his term and no re-election schedule, nor does he face a threat of impeachment — though he still needs to win over users, court advertisers and show his investors positive results. Our thought bubble: Until Musk announces concrete plans or ships actual features, the rest of us are well advised to watch what he does, not what he says. Read the rest.     3. Yosemite's glaciers are melting away Merced Peak Glacier in southern Yosemite Valley. Photo: Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images   Glaciers at some of the most famous World Heritage sites — including Yosemite National Park — are set to vanish within 30 years due to climate change, per new UN research, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reports. Details: Researchers studied 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage sites and found they've "been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures," according to the report. World Heritage site glaciers are losing about 58 billion tonnes of ice every year, accounting for up to 4.5% of observed global sea level rise, per the study. The research was published ahead of next week's COP27 climate change conference in Egypt. What we're watching: It's "still possible to save the glaciers in the remaining two-thirds of sites if the rise in temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C," the report notes. Yes, but: The world is on track to exceed that target. Read the rest.     A message from Robin Powered Getting your employees back into the office     A successful hybrid workplace requires more than just meeting room and desk scheduling. A new survey of 200 business leaders revealed what companies are getting wrong, how leaders can overcome hybrid work roadblocks and practical steps to improve office engagement. Read the insights.     4. A train to Dulles, finally A view of Dulles Airport from inside a Metro train. Photo: Paige Hopkins/Axios   Even before the Washington, D.C. area's Dulles International Airport officially opened in 1962, there was talk of adding train service. Decades later, it's finally happening, Axios' Paige Hopkins reports. The big picture: The Silver Line extension's Dulles stop is one of six new Metro stations opening on Nov. 15 — and is a major victory for public transit advocates nationwide. Sneak peek: Paige recently got to tour the new line, riding from Ashburn, Virginia, to the airport and back. That trip lasted about 10 minutes. Rides from stations in the heart of downtown D.C. are expected to take around an hour. The Dulles Metro stop drops passengers off at a parking garage entrance, where there's a moving walkway leading to baggage claim at international arrivals. One-way fares to Dulles are capped at $6. Alex's thought bubble: Congrats, D.C.! Now if only New York could figure out train service to LaGuardia... Share this story.     5. One fun thing: Sony's new VR headset Image courtesy of Sony   Sony's PlayStation VR2 headset is coming this February — but it'll cost even more than the PS5 console required to run it, Axios' Stephen Totilo writes. Why it matters: Despite mountains of recent hype and investment, virtual reality (VR) has struggled to go mainstream, in part because of high prices. Details: The $550 PS VR2 is a high-end system with better specs than the current market-leading headset, Meta's Quest 2 ($400-$500), though the weaker Meta offering doesn't require extra hardware. Sony has promised at least 20 games at launch, including a spinoff to its popular action adventure series Horizon. But the exact lineup hasn't been set, and several games on the menu won't be exclusives. Share this story.     A message from Robin Powered Get hybrid work right. Level up your workplace strategy     The conversation around hybrid work has moved past return to office logistics and onto long-term measures of success. What you need to know: Leverage insights from interviews with 200 business leaders and get practical tips for creating workplace strategies that stick. Download the free report.   Big thanks to What's Next copy editor Amy Stern. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next by signing up here for our free newsletter. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: