Apple’s smart home launch is bringing more than a hub, a HomePod mini and a TV box. A doorbell, a smart deadbolt lock, a thermostat and three cameras are on the way as well, and they will carry the LG name instead of Apple’s.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the accessories were developed with LG Electronics through an unusual partnership, based on people with knowledge of the matter. They will work with Apple’s new smart home hub, which is set to be introduced on October 13 alongside an upgraded HomePod mini and a new TV set-top box. Apple and LG declined to comment.
Apple Helped Design the LG Accessories While LG Builds and Supports Them
The products will carry the LG brand. LG is handling manufacturing and product support, and Apple is helping shape the design, tailor the features and oversee the engineering.
Apple has done this before with Belkin, which is part of Foxconn Technology Group, and with Logitech International, both of which sell products developed with Apple under their own brands. Bloomberg says the approach lets Apple expand its lineup quickly without carrying the full cost of building and supporting a wide range of accessories.
The LG devices are running behind Apple’s own hardware, and they are not expected to reach consumers for at least a few more months. Apple is also planning additional devices of its own, which Bloomberg has reported include a privacy-focused home-monitoring device, a version of the hub with the screen on a robotic arm and an in-home security monitoring service. Apple’s retail redesign already adds accessory bays for new home products.
LG’s FCC and UL Filings Already List Seven Products
LG has sought approval from the US Federal Communications Commission and UL Solutions, a product certification company, in recent weeks. The filings include product names, specifications and drawings, though they do not mention Apple. LG asked that photos and more precise details stay confidential until early next year.
The listings include these products:
- LG Video Doorbell Wired
- LG Floodlight Cam
- LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In
- LG Indoor Cam Plug-In
- LG Smart Deadbolt Lock
- LG Smart Thermostat
- LG Temperature Sensor
Many of the devices support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, along with Thread and Matter, the two smart home protocols that Apple and its rivals have adopted in recent years. The LG Smart Deadbolt Lock also supports ultra-wideband, which allows the door to unlock automatically as someone walks up to it.
For LG, the lineup is its first indoor camera in nearly a decade. It is also the company’s first outdoor camera, thermostat, floodlight camera and doorbell in recent history, and its first smart lock sold outside South Korea. The devices put Apple and LG up against Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest.
Apple and LG also have a history in this kind of project. Nearly a decade ago, when Apple temporarily left the external monitor market, it codeveloped monitors with LG to work with its laptops.
Our Take
The hub is already Apple’s second new category in months, so this seems like a lot more additions to that new product categories list. I, for one, am very excited for the company to finally be launching a lot more products. I’m still hoping that they also starting making AirPort Wi-Fi routers again.
I also think this is a sensible way for Apple to fill gaps in its product offerings. Ring and Nest have years of head start on doorbells, locks and cameras, and LG handling manufacturing and support means Apple does not have to build that business from zero. However, LG might not be the most popular brand when it comes to these product categories.
