WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
HomeKit's strength is its ability to group products into "rooms," "zones" and "scenes." With one tap, you can turn off every HomeKit product in a room, such as lights and stereos. You can also do that with a group of rooms, or zone. You can even use the Siri voice assistant to control your home. Saying "I feel hot" might prompt Siri to turn on the air conditioner and lower the shade for you.
Tap a "party" scene and the stereo and disco lights could turn on while your regular lamps dim. Setting up a "bedtime" scene might involve leaving just the nightlight on, while locking the front door and lowering the heat downstairs. Sure, you can already control a set of lights and appliances by attaching them to a power strip with an on-off switch, but your options are limited to all on or all off. With HomeKit, you have the option of creating multiple combinations to match whatever ambiance you prefer.
