What's the point of any luxury? Isn't a nice sofa just furniture for furniture's sake? And a home theater is just entertainment for entertainment's sake. If your opposition to automation is rooted in asceticism, that's perfectly fine, but then why are you on HN?

Home automation provides convenience (not having to drive all the way home to close the garage you accidentally left open), integration (being able to control and monitor your lighting, HVAC, sound, video, pool/spa, landscaping fountains/lights, etc. from a single remote with a single UI), and customization (pre-programmed actions, timed sequences, and unique designs that make a house uniquely suited to its occupants) that are not otherwise available.

Edit to add: there are also accessibility benefits to automation.

I guess I'm just saying that I think that most people won't find this sort of automation actually useful. Nerds will love it for the sheer nerdey pleasure of controlling every aspect of their world from a touchscreen, but I'm skeptical that it will go beyond that.

Most people won't want to monitor their lighting, HVAC, sound, video, pool/spa, landscaping fountains/lights, etc.

I'm not going to deny that there's a ton of geekery involved. But there are several things my non-geek wife loves about our home automation system, including:

* Never coming home to a dark house (minimal lights automatically come on at sunset, and tapping one button immediately inside the entry door turns on several lights in the area you're walking in to). * Watching a movie in complete darkness, but hitting 'pause' and having the necessary lights to get to the bathroom or kitchen come on (at a dim level so you're not suddenly blinded). * Having "believable" automated operation of lights and other things when we're on vacation, giving a better appearance of someone being home. * Being able to adjust the temperature when we're not home (helpful when we've been gone a while and want the house pre-warmed/cooled).

Etc.

This certainly ALL falls into the luxury category, but it's quite nice. I don't think the issue in this market is that people who aren't geeks wouldn't enjoy the benefits. It's a combination of a lack of proper marketing, high cost, and the interfaces for these things not being where they need to be for average users. Maybe Apple can address at least some of those factors.

I would be keen to see all door locks controllable by remote device. Then it could alert me to doors left unlocked late in the evening or if we were out of the house.

Garden automation (lighting, irrigation and monitoring).

Better window treatments like controlled awnings and blinds or window opacity in the future.

Most people opposed the very idea of a TV remote control when wireless remotes were first introduced (Tog on Software Design by Tognazzini). Given the right system, features, and sales pitch, consumer attitudes can change.

Locks, security systems, garage doors, PV inverters? Plus I think it would be useful for major appliances like refrigerators and electric ranges and water heaters to output their power usage since you can't just plug those into a Kill-A-Watt.

Security is a big one. Setting all your zones and being able to set alarms and see cameras. Additionally the ability to give out lock codes that only work at specific times of the day and are revokable.