Last time, we reported that the Apple affiliated chip makers have started shipping MFi enabled chips to HomeKit accessory makers. And now, more reports suggest that HomeKit appliances will hit the shelves soon, as Apple has started accepting product plans from device manufacturers regarding the same.

Apple held an MFi summit in China last week, whose attendees were strictly restricted to HomeKit partners. It dealt mostly with using Siri with HomeKit to get things done in your home, via smart devices. On the last day of the summit (Nov. 14), Apple invited all smart device makers to submit their product plans for the kit, which is generally regarded as the last formal phase before devices enter mass production.

The Apple TV is expected to be the centerpiece of the whole Apple Smart Home concept. You will pair your devices with the Apple TV, so that you can control them via iCloud or directly from a dashboard app on the set-top box’s homescreen.

In essence, we believe that the HomeKit launch will coincide with the much awaited Apple TV refresh. Now, that we know that HomeKit devices are entering into production, we are certain that the Apple TV 4 countdown is closing in as well.

If things go as rumored, we will have the next Apple TV sporting an entirely new firmware, intuitive interface, powerful capabilities and HomeKit support, at least by March next year.

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As we discussed earlier, reports from Forbes confirm Apple TV to be the center piece of Apple’s new adventure, the HomeKit. According to them, the Apple TV will carry the control panel for all your smart appliances, to be accessed within your home or even remotely (you can read more here).

Such glory days of Apple TV don’t seem very far, as chip-makers confirm that they have started shipping HomeKit certified chipsets to smart device manufacturers.

Apple unveiled the HomeKit at their developer conference held in June. With this SDK, various home appliances will be able to talk to each other, to the iCloud and to your iOS apps to get things done in the smart way.

However, as with all other Apple products, home device manufacturers will have to certify their products as MFi (Made for iPhone) and this would be done via the chips they buy from Apple-approved companies – Texas Instruments, Marvell and Broadcom.

The executives of these chip makers have revealed to Forbes that they have dispatched the initial shipments of this Bluetooth+WiFi enabled chips to smart device makers. They believe that this would be the final step in the establishment of iHome and that we’ll soon see a flurry of HomeKit supported devices rushing into the market.

“Everyone’s getting ready,” said Brian Bedrosian, senior director of embedded wireless in the mobile and wireless group at Broadcom. “Expect to see new product launches in the next cycle of product releases.”

Currently, the leading companies interested in the HomeKit include Honeywell, Elgato and Withings. With what we know so far of the kit, we are looking at smart lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, security systems, sprinklers, plugs and more, which can be all controlled with the ease of a tap.

And when that happens, your Apple TV will receive a software update (at least the 3rd gen) or the next gen Apple TV 4 will be unveiled, to rule over these smart minions.

To all those who’ve been doubting the future of Apple’s set top box, it’s time to take a deep breath and wait.

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A couple of weeks back, we received some unconfirmed reports stating that Apple sneaked in HomeKit support to Apple TV with the 7.0 update. But things became official on Tuesday, when the Apple TV 7.0.1 beta 2 was rolled out to developers. In the changelogs, Apple has acknowledged that the update “can be used for testing AirPlay and HomeKit with your iOS apps.”

More details were dug out by Apple Insider from Apple’s own development forums, where an engineer explains how HomeKit, CloudKit, smart appliances and Apple TV will work together to create the iHome.

All your smart gadgets connect to Apple’s HomeKit, which in turn is looked over by the CloudKit. You can log in to your iCloud account on your Apple TV and that’s it, your Apple TV becomes the central hub to controlling everything smart in your home, like bulbs, doors, garden sprinklers, thermostats and more.

[..] information from their connected home will automatically be synced with the TV accessory. This is made possible because HomeKit uses CloudKit to store home and accessory info in the cloud, while Keychain is used to store paired keys, the developer said.

Apple TV also acts as the “remote access peer” for HomeKit, so that you can control your smart home even if you are on a vacation. Using an iOS device, a Mac/PC or even from the iCloud website, you will be able to connect to your Apple TV and control the HomeKit enabled services.

Serving as a remote access peer will enable the Apple TV to help control connected accessories when they are away from home. When a user is accessing their smart home remotely, Apple’s system reportedly scans available remote access peers and searches for the one with the lowest latency.

It is now clear that future Apple TVs will play a dual role of delivering the content you love plus, automating your home. The new update, when it comes out of beta, will be available only on Apple TV 3 while, the HomeKit services are believed to be the hallmark of the next Apple TV too.

Though initial rumors predicted Apple TV 4 for an early 2015 launch, the recent turn of events have placed high hopes on Apple’s October 16th event.

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