Cree has unleashed a line of connected LED light bulbs that aim to put the squeeze on the competition in terms of compatibility and cost.
The Connected Cree LED Bulb is a 60W equivalent that delivers 815 lumens in a soft white (2,700K) color temperature. It comes with a three-year warranty and has a rated lifetime of 25,000 hours. What's more, it's dimmable when used with the accompanying smartphone app and consumes just 11.5 watts.
Perhaps best of all, the Cree bulb is compatible with both Home Depot's Wink hub and any ZigBee-certified hub. That means it'll also work with Apple HomeKit.
What the bulb isn't capable of, however, is the color changing options found in Philips Hue bulbs. That's by design as, according to Cree vice president of product strategy Mike Watson, they're not strong believers in niche cases that elicit a positive response from media or for showing commercials.
Or in other words, colored bulbs are little more than a gimmick which is something that's hard to argue against.
The Connected Cree LED Bulb sells for $14.97 and should be available for purchase online within the next few days and in stores later this month. For those curious, a Wink hub will set you back $49.99 and is available as of writing (note that you'll need a hub of some sort to get started with connected bulbs).