Apple ushered in the app era.  Blackberry and Android followed suit.  Virtually every device, including TV's and clock radios, has an app store to provide additional functionality to your electronics.  In almost all cases, these native apps from a device's vendor are very good and just about the best at controling their device.  We now live on multiple apps to do daily tasks.  There isn't just one app for our life.  Apple has said that this is ok (so it must be).

Home automation and control vendors, such as higher-end Crestron and AMX and mid-priced Control4 and HAI, have brought single app control of your entire home to the iPhone and iPad.  Yes, one app can do it all.  But it does come at a price both dollar wise and with potentially some limitation on what it can control from other manufacturers.  

At Red Atom Networks, we like one app to rule them all, but it's just not feasible in many cases.  Like Apple, we think that having a couple of apps to control your home is fine- tapping on one app to turn lights on, check a security camera and change the thermostat, tapping on another to turn on and play music, maybe even tapping on a third to turn on the TV and change the channels.

Most of us would think that this is acceptable and much better than we have today.  Thank you Apple for saying it's ok.