Ikea has set a release date of April 1st for its aggressively priced smart blinds in the United States, according to a Fast Company report, only a couple of months after the motorized shades’ debut in Europe on February 2nd. There, Ikea priced its Fyrtur blackout shades between $113 and $181 (converted from euros), with blind sizes ranging from the width of your average room window, all the way up to 195 cm (76.8 inches) wide.
If you’ve never heard of smart blinds before — internet-controlled automated shades — that’s probably because most smart blinds cost anywhere between $300-500. Their high cost makes them a tough smart home upgrade to swallow, so any affordable competition in this space is worth learning more about. However, Ikea’s...