Apple hires ex-Microsoft exec to revamp smart home business

“Sam Jadallah, the former CEO of a smart lock company that shut down just over a year ago, has a new job: He’ll be leading the home initiatives at Apple, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC,” Christina Farr reports for CNBC. “Hiring Jadallah is the latest signal that Apple plans to get serious about its own efforts in the home. Recently, the company acquired a start-up called PullString… That purchase could help the smartphone maker become the center of a connected living room.”
“On Saturday, after CNBC broke the news of his hire, Jadallah updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new role with Apple,” Farr reports. “Jadallah previously ran a start-up called Otto, which made a $700 lock that was backed by the venture firm Greylock. He also spent more than a decade at Microsoft, and had a stint in venture capital at the firm Mohr Davidow.”
“Otto suspended its operations four months after launching its beautifully-designed Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-enabled luxury lock. In interviews, Jadallah hinted at having found a buyer, which pulled out at the last minute,” Farr reports. “About 70 percent of the early team behind Otto were actually poached from Apple’s ranks, Jadallah has previously said. The lock was compared favorably by reviewers to the ‘Apple of smart locks.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We certainly thought Apple would be further ahead on the smart home than they are currently. Ask a “regular” person about smart home products, beyond Amazon Echo devices, and they have no idea. It should be Apple to finally deliver the ease-of-use and simplicity of the smart home to the masses. Hopefully, Jadallah can up Apple’s smart home game.
Jadallah’s Otto digital lock:

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