Apple could be set to control your homes with new universal remote

Apple could be taking over your homes as well as your social life now, as it’s rumoured that the iPad is being turned into a universal ‘home remote’.

Set to be unveiled alongside an entirely new version of the iPhone and iPad software at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next week, the remote could control everything from TVs to washing machines and lights, according to the Financial Times.

An Apple patent published in November last year gave the first hints of the system, showing it automatically turning on lights when a user comes home. The new system is expected to work with existing home automation products such as the Philips Hue connected light bulbs.

Philips already sells home automation gadgets in its stores, including arch rival Google’s Nest thermostats and Belkin WeMo switches, so this could be a great new addition if this news is true.

Either way, we won’t know until next week, as the conference runs from 2nd June to 6th June.