App-Controlled Philips Hue Lightbulb Coming To Apple Stores Today

Meet hue, “the world’s smartest LED bulb.” Starting today, Apple Stores, and only Apple Stores, will carry this Philips hue lightbulb, which, for those that don’t know, is controlled by an iOS app so you can set your lighting preferences in an easy-to-use app right on your favorite iDevice.

For $199 you can get a starter pack of three lightbulbs of 600 lumen and a hue bridge to connect the bulbs to a home network. Each bulb offers every shade of white and a variety of color. It uses 80 percent less power than traditional lightbulbs while providing the equivalent of a 500 watt bulb. You also have the option to buy a big introduction pack, which can go up to 50 individual bulbs, each extra bulb priced at $59.

Using the accompanying iOS app, hue lets users control their home lighting and personalize their settings, like by using a timer or setting different mood lightings for different purposes. According to Philips, the bulbs are also upgradable and future-proof as more features can be downloaded in the future. Intrigued yet? Keep reading, there’s more.

Hue’s accompanying app has a feature called “LightRecipes,” which are four pre-programmed lighting settings based on the company’s research about the biological effects that lighting has on the body. Each “recipe” adjusts the bulbs’ lighting for specific needs, like when you need to relax, concentrate, energize or read. And you can still tweak these recipes to tune it perfectly to your preferences. Here’ more of what hue can do:

  • Save your favorite light scenes for each room and each time of day and easily recall them.
  • Use any photo from your phone as a color palette to paint your room with the same lighting to bring your memories back to life.
  • Tune white light from warm candlelight to vibrant, cool white light.
  • Create ambience or complement your decor with the colors of the rainbow.
  • Control and monitor your light settings through your iPhone or iPad while not at home for security.
  • Set timers.
  • Let the light wake you up naturally or help you fall asleep.

This is the second home automation device that Apple is bringing to users in retail stores. The first is the Nest learning thermostat. Similar to the Nest, the hue connects to a free app and aims to reduce users’ power bills.

Image Credit: Tech Fever Network

Kaylie lives in Ottawa and got her first Mac in 2007 and is now a fan for life.