What’s the Matter with the smart home?

The booth of the smart-home provider Eve stands on the press day before the opening at the electronics trade fair IFA. — *But has it?* | Photo by Fabian Sommer / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

A year ago at Berlin’s IFA tech trade show (think European CES), Verge reporter Jon Porter witnessed a Google Nest Hub control an Apple HomeKit smart plug. This “lightbulb moment for the smart home” was the first public demonstration of Matter. The new smart home standard is designed to fix the biggest issue facing tech in our homes: interoperability, and witnessing two fierce competitors in the space working together was exciting. Twelve months later, on the eve of IFA 2023, we’re still waiting for that lightbulb to turn on across the industry.

The smart home remains fragmented. Despite being developed by the biggest names in the industry — Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and more — Matter has yet to deliver on its main promise. You...

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Pandora Stories lets artists add commentary to their own playlists

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Asus’ foldable laptop goes on sale for $3,499.99

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