California-based Apple Computer Inc. will soon be helping homes become energy efficient as it files a patent for smart energy technology.

The new smart home energy device is similar to Google’s PowerMeter and Microsoft’s Hohm, both of which serves to reduce the energy consumption of electronic appliances.

The basis for Apple’s new smart energy device is the HomePlug Powerline networking which turns every power outlet in a residence into an audio, video and data port. This means that internet can come from every plug in the house. One can also use it for iTunes streaming through electric sockets and HDTV.

The smart energy system also has the capacity to determine which linked machine needs energy, how much energy it needs, and even compute its power consumption cost.

The device allows control over how much electricity goes to the appliances connected to it, effectively allowing the cutting down on electricity costs by turning off or turning down of appliances not in use. The communications protocol also enables sharing of data between devices over a home’s existing wiring.

The device features a touch screen controller at its center, and this controller may be anything from an iPod Touch, an iPhone, or even an Apple Tablet. The device also includes a projections system where a pico-projector may be attached so it can display content from the appliance.

Comparing Apple’s smart energy device to others, Google’s PowerMeter gets information from smart meters and allows homeowners to know their energy use from their Google homepage while Hohm evaluates the energy use of a certain residence then gives advice on energy reduction.

Smart energy technology products had been lauded by Intel CEO Paul Otellini, noting that computing in the home is not just about entertainment but also about saving money and the environment. Otellini adds that the increasing demand for electricity, which currently does not measure up to the available source, can only be maximized and made efficient through the use of intelligent systems which have the capacity to lessen the use of electricity by as much as 31 percent.

On March, Apple will be releasing the iPad into the market for 9. The iPad is a portable device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, playing games, and reading e-books, among other features.  Its features a Multi-Touch display which enables interaction with the 12 new iPad apps and almost all of the 140,000 apps available on the iPad.

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