Ikea teams up with Amazon to control their latest smart lightbulbs
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Amazon wants to increase the number of customers buying their new smart speaker, Echo, so they planned to do as much as possible to make it popular. Therefore, they teamed up with the Swedish furniture manufacturers Ikea to bring their product closer to the people.
Ikea launched their own smart lightbulbs, and users will be able to control them by using the new Amazon speaker. Powered by Alexa, the smart assistant developed by Amazon, the lightbulbs receive commands via the Echo device and can be turned on, off, or have their brightness adjusted.
Controlling Ikea smart bulbs without an app
The smart lightbulbs are already on the market, and Ikea released an additional smartphone app which allows the users to control the devices. However, this collaboration is meant to make things easier. After the bulbs get paired up with the Amazon speaker, the app will no longer be necessary.
This deal brings advantages to both Ikea and Amazon, as each company gets to advertise their products to a larger customer base. However, Amazon does not have exclusivity. Ikea is planning to connect their smart bulbs with Google Home Assistant, as well as Apple. For instance, the latter has a special HomeKit system which allows you to control smart devices in your home by using Siri.
All for the benefit of customers
Björn Block, the leader of the Smart Home department at Ikea, wants to bring this concept in as many houses as possible, for a reasonable price. Also, he thinks that starting collaborations with more tech leaders on the market is only for the benefit of the customers.
“Making our products work with others on the market takes us one step closer to meet people’s needs, making it easier to interact with your smart home products.”
You can purchase a smart lightbulb from Ikea for only $12. Also, until it pairs up with home assisting speakers, you can buy the gateway device containing the app which helps you control the bulb. This is available for $30.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons