Some of the same engineers and designers who worked on iPhones, PowerBooks, and Beats by Dre have now turned their attention to the kitchen.
A new, computerized oven, called “June,” uses sensors to recognize what you’re making—and tells you how to do it better, CNNMoney reports. No preheating required, and you’ll get a notification on your smartphone when it’s done.
Company co-founders Matt Van Horn and Nikhil Bhogal developed June after leaving jobs at a social networking company, Path, a year and a half ago. They launched their $1,495 super-smart oven last month, but it won’t be available for shipment until next year. Both come from digital pedigrees: Bhogal worked on the first iteration of the iPhone and Van Horn was in on the ground floor at both Path and Digg. They also brought in Robert Brunner for design—he’s worked on the Apple PowerBook, as well as Square, Polaroid, and Beats by Dre.
June’s high-tech accoutrement includes a camera inside the oven that will stream videos to a smartphone, Fortune reports, as well as an “integrated temperature probe” to figure out how much cooking needs to be done and when it’s finished. A GPU processor—typically found in a computer or video game—powers the oven’s technology.
The drawback? Size. As Fortune notes, the maximum tray size is 11″ x 16.” That will work for cookie sheets, roast chickens, and other typical dishes, but not a turkey. So customers will spend $1,495 on an appliance that helps them in the kitchen, but doesn’t fully replace the standard oven.
June isn’t the only product trying to get cooks to think beyond the standard kitchen appliance. Last month, Mashable reported on another smart-cooking device, an appliance from Freescale Semiconductor, that “uses solid-state radio frequency (RF) technology to heat meals quickly without sacrificing taste.” That one hasn’t gone on sale yet, and whether it ever will is unclear. One thing is for sure, though: The age of the boring old microwave is over.