Logitech has today announced the POP Smart Button, a small toggle switch that you can place around your home and trigger smart home actions with a quick press. The POP is the first programmable button to support Apple HomeKit, although it isn’t actually on sale yet. It will be available exclusively at Apple Stores soon.
The POP accessories require a hub; Logitech will sell a bundle of one button and one hub for $60. Owners of the first-generation POP Home Switch are out of luck, they will be getting a software update but it will not add HomeKit integration.
The POP button is physically a round button, that can be pressed and depressed. More than one HomeKit scene can be assigned to each button with gestures.
Users will be able to set up triggers for a single press, a double press and a long press.
For example, if you have a living room filled with Philips Hue lights and HomeKit switches, a single press on the POP could enable a home movie scene — dimming all the lights and turning on the TV home theater system.
As a HomeKit device, the POP Smart Button should integrate seamlessly with all of your iOS smart home accessories from any manufacturer. The Smart Button can be customized using the Apple Home app, pre-installed with all iPhones and iPad since iOS 10.
The POP Smart Button will be sold in four colors; White, Alloy, Coral and Teal. You can buy the Logitech POP Smart Button soon from Apple retail. The product will go on sale at more outlets later in the year.
The hub-button bundle kit will cost $59.95 and additional Smart Buttons will cost $39.95. A single hub can connect to an ‘unlimited’ number of buttons, according to Logitech.
