Re: Surely...
So, may I dare ask, if you control your iHome using that iPhone, how exactly that will work out when you, while making that call on the "most flexible" pocket computer walk out through the door.
One of the key issues in IoT and taking over the home is to be able to do it via more than one route. You have to make the featureset pervasive across a lot of devices.
The primary controller in Apple's strategy quite clearly is the Apple TV. However, it is not enough. Not everyone will take it. There have to be alternatives and the iPad is a perfect candidate - it has the applicable radio set including BT low power, it can interface to sensors and it can run the UI. It is also relatively cheap so if you become dependent on the gadget aspect you may end up shelling some money for that just to have a backup controller.