Matter is one of the great promises to unify the compatibility between the different ecosystems of the connected home. It was born as an alliance between the large manufacturers, a solution that came to create unified connectivity based on IP. The goal? Create a standard universal protocol for developers to create Internet of Things devices.
Although its launch was originally scheduled for sometime this year, it will be delayed for a few more months. According to Tobin Richardson, CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the launch of Matter has been postponed until the first half of 2022 . The delay is justified, in part, to give its members a sneak peek of the standard before voting on the specification later this year.
The direct consequence of the Matter specification being delayed is that so is its implementation in other manufacturers, such as Philips or Zigbee, who are also part of the alliance for their products.
The first Matter devices will be further delayed
The Matter delay also implies a delay in the software development kit itself, which is vital for the start-up of the project. Furthermore, given the compatibility between different systems, the standard also requires the implementation of a formal certification program . That's as far as manufacturers go.
For the bulk of consumers, the delay in adopting Matter has a direct implication for new products and support for existing ones. If the specification is delayed until the beginning of 2022 it means that we will not see its implementation in products until the second half of the year , at least.
The importance of Matter and its implementation in the market is vital for the future of the connected home and the smart home . The goal is to offer an interoperable smart home protocol that allows devices to communicate with each other and share their capabilities.
This means that when it is released, all Matter certified devices will be able to work seamlessly with any ecosystem. It would be over at a stroke to see if the X or Y device is compatible with Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant, in addition to increasing market competition and, therefore, lowering the prices of the devices.
