I think their target is $40 for the white bulbs. Still a bit higher then the dimmer compatible LED bulbs from other vendors, but also factor into my decision a bit on the apartment friendliness side. Since the Hue bulbs are the dimmer too, there isn't any electrical rewiring I need to worry about to install a dimmer switch. This has been the first time I've been able to have the areas where I spend the most time have dimmable lights.

I'll admit the color aspect can seem a little gimmicky at times, though I have discovered some real uses for it beyond notifications or party lighting. I've been trying to tie my schedule somewhat to daylight hours. At night, I'm working to avoid too much brightness especially before bed and now have f.lux on all my computer screens. The colors allow me to set the bedroom lighting to a low red color. Instead of being blasted with sunlight like light just to crawl under the covers, I can do so easily with the dimmer red light. The usage of f.lux and having dimmer lights has made enough of a difference that bright screens now annoy me at night.


Not really able to comment much here, since I installed the Hue lights around the same time I moved. I lack a good baseline.


HomeKit is still mostly a mystery to me, I need to dig into the WWDC sessions on it. I know so far it will grant an easier way for Siri voice control to just control any device that is compatible as a group with others, even if they are in different "control silos".


For control from the app, yes. However, if the switch is turned off, it does shut the bulbs down as expected. And if the switch is turned back on, the bulbs default to coming on in a basic white color. One could buy Hue bulbs and never plug in the control pod, and people wouldn't know anything was different.