The doorbell, security cameras, thermostats and more could be announced next week.
We’ve been hearing a lot about Apple’s renewed smart home endeavors from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg over the past few months, and he’s back today with a report that the company co-developed several new gadgets in partnership with LG Electronics. Based on recent regulatory filings by LG, Bloomberg reports that the results of this collaboration are expected to include a smart doorbell, a smart thermostat, a smart deadbolt lock, indoor and outdoor security cameras, and a floodlight camera. Rather than Apple’s iconic fruit symbol, the hardware will reportedly be sold under LG’s banner, with the South Korean business responsible for the devices’ manufacturing and product support.
This smart home slate is expected to be unveiled next week, and the LG product lineup is likely to center around a new hub device from Apple that has been in development for several years. A revamped HomePod Mini and TV set-top box may also be coming as part of Apple’s move toward offering a bigger system of connected home tech. While the Apple-branded devices are expected to be available soon, Bloomberg says the LG accessories won’t hit the market for “at least a few more months.”
This co-development effort also marks a shift for LG. The brand has long been known for appliances and large electronics rather than smart home products. LG has been a partner for Apple in other verticals in the past, such offering Apple software via its smart TVs and serving as a third-party monitor option for the MacBook ecosystem. It also produces the panels for Apple’s current lineup of Mac monitors, the Studio Display and Studio Display XDR.
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