Why some SmartApps may not be publishable

[Ben (Ben Edwards)]

You bring up a lot in this post. While reading through these forums would have gained you most of these answers, I will attempt to clarify some points here.

@Mark_S_Groves

WIll robust third party apps be a waste of time for developers? i.e. the Smart Tiles scenario.
A reliable security app will require constant sensor status updates. Not seconds, milliseconds that in turn will create a lot of traffic for the SmartThings servers. Will local processing reduce the traffic to the point where SmartThings can work efficiently with robust Smart Apps and device drivers?

There are lots of things coming that will help this. Aside from local processing — which will help — we will be releasing documentation and APIs for developing richer experiences not just simple “configuration SmartApps”, but solutions with rich controls and much deeper integration possibilities.

@Mark_S_Groves

If a developer creates an app that is similar to a low priority app on the SmartThings ‘To Do’ list, what happens with the developer’s app when it finally becomes a priority for SmartThings?

This is a good question. In general, it isn’t in SmartThings’ plans to make SmartApps/Solutions but we could see something come from the community that is so great we would want to incorporate it into the default user experience. I don’t think this is a situation unique to us.

@Mark_S_Groves

I have yet to figure out how SmartThings revenue model makes any sense. Can SmartThings survive supporting a $99 dollar hub with limited SmartThing devices or will they ultimately become the next Wink? That said, I am a huge fan of the SmartThings concept, and equally disappointed in the reality. I realize growing pains is a huge issue. The device cost has to come way down to drive mass consumption.

Luckily we aren’t being pushed to be profitable yet. We have time to figure out business models. I hope that an eventual mix of hardware revenue (yes, Moore’s Law has to start kicking in faster here), subscription revenue from premium service offerings like video DVR service and more, as well as SmartApp Marketplace revenue shares will serve to bring about profitability. We’ll see. We have a much longer runway than Wink.

@Mark_S_Groves

Will SmartThings continue to evolve to a closed system from the third party developer’s perspective?

We have not been going that way nor will we. #OpenPlatform #LoadedQuestion #BadAssumptions

@Mark_S_Groves

Will the Things Shield documentation and driver support evolve to point where it is actually useful for something other than a switch? Support for a messaging interface that could be used to communicate alarm status, etc would be nice.
Artik support is apparently coming, but what about Raspberry PI support?

The firmware on this device was written very quickly and should be improved. In the recent weeks we have discussed open sourcing it to see what the community would do with it. Arik, Raspberry Pi, Particle support are all desired but need to move higher up in prioritization.

@Mark_S_Groves

Will the developers meetings evolve to focus on developing third party compatible apps or is that strictly Patrick Stuarts burden to bear. I am beginning to feel like it is a documentation meeting. Kuddos to the doc team! They are doing a great job that is an important part of development.

You must have only tuned in recently. We have a lot of varied topics, from the new UX of the mobile apps, to a Q&A with our CTO, to how to write SmartApps and Device Type Handlers, to a focus on IDE improvements, and more. The last one just happened to be all about the documentation.

@Mark_S_Groves

It is disheartening that the V2 hub is not far enough along to discuss interfaces and capabilities at the developers meetings. Another sign of non reciprocal community support.

We’ve had lots of discussion on V2 Hub specs both on this site and in developer discussion calls. Are there IoT companies that are more open and transparent with their platforms?

@Mark_S_Groves

When will SmartThings realize they are severely limiting their growth? The vast majority of talented developers do not live in Palo Alto or want to move to Palo Alto. There are several other Tech hubs, like the Research Triangle for example, they could draw talent from that would ease the growing pains. It is also feasible to work remotely in this day and age.

Our primary engineering center is in Minneapolis, MN. We have research teams in Seattle, Colorado, and Michigan, support teams in Tucson. For a lot of reasons it makes sense to be in the Bay area but we are by no means singularly focused here.