What you need to know
- Apple-backed smart home standard Matter has been delayed (again).
- It is now set to launch in Fall 2022.
- It's because of delays needed to finalize the software development kit.
Apple-backed smart home standard Matter has been delayed until Fall 2020, according to a new report.
From The Verge:
Matter, the new smart home interoperability standard being developed by Google, Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and others, has been delayed. Again. Expected this summer, the launch has been rescheduled for fall of 2022, Michelle Mindala-Freeman of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) which oversees Matter, told The Verge.
The report says that the delay is needed to finalize the SDL (software development kit) that manufacturers will make in order to integrate their products into the ecosystem. Matter also reportedly said that while the feature-set for Matter is complete, it needs more time to "tweak, tune, and improve quality in the code."
Sadly, this is now the third time Matter has been delayed. It was supposed to come out in 2020 and promises to unite a somewhat fractured ecosystem. From our overview:
Matter is built upon Internet Protocol (IP) and will use existing networking technologies in an attempt to unify smart home platforms. That means Matter-certified devices will be using standard stuff like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and Thread to connect to your network and each other. As both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology advance, Matter will probably continue to incorporate new standards.Manufacturers adopting Matter will be able to make their products compatible with Apple's HomeKit, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Assistant services easily without needing to support multiple protocols in parallel. As a user, the Matter logo will give you confidence that the product will work with your smart home, regardless of your ecosystem of choice.
Matter seems to be quite confident of hitting its new deadline, stating in the report that the SDK would be done by Q2 and that this was "building our confidence" that membership was all in on the project and driving to be done by the fall.
