Apple’s home invasion will begin with an assortment of gadgets. Do you want indoor or outdoor cameras? How about a video doorbell and smart lock? Then there’s a smart thermostat and temperature sensors connected to Apple. It’s a lot, yes, but be aware that many of these gadgets may not have Apple’s unique touch. Instead, they’re designed with help from LG and Schneider Electornics, and they’ll literally be the Cupertino tech giant’s foot in the door for smart homes.
Unlike the new HomeView smart home hub, these other devices were not developed in-house by Apple. The selection of smart home equipment developed by LG, all held under the “Apple Home Collection” moniker, will be available starting in December. However, some “select accessories” will not be available until early next year. While there were previously many Apple Home compatible devices, the new selection is intended to support a privacy-focused connection with Apple’s smart home. Here’s the full list of products you can expect to see online or in Apple stores before the end of the year:
- Wired LG video doorbell: $250
- LG Projector Camera: $400
- LG Outdoor Camera Plug-in: $300
- LG Indoor Camera Plug-in: $200
- LG Smart Deadbolt Lock: $350
- LG smart thermostat: $200
- LG temperature sensor: $40
- Schneider Home smart thermostat: $200
- Schneider Home room sensor: $40
There is an additional selection of power adapters for LG and Schneider smart home products. The big difference between these cameras and all other cameras is that they work directly with Apple subscriptions, including storing your data in an iCloud+ plan. Users can expect to receive video descriptions and summaries generated by Apple Intelligence. Users can also export their images or control any of their other devices using the Home app.
This partnership with LG is not unknown for the notoriously insular company. Apple sometimes works with outside companies, especially if it doesn’t make personal efforts to break into a specific category. For example, Apple has already worked with Corsair on a native gaming keyboard and mouse for Mac. However, Apple may be gearing up for its own line of smart home gadgets, including cameras that are rumored to not “see” so much because they use AI to interpret scenes from low frame rate footage.
There will naturally be a difference between these third-party devices and anything Apple makes. Although these devices can keep images end-to-end encrypted, they are processed using Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. Apple plans to use its own “Secure Exclave,” where it can ensure that all data is processed locally without any data being transferred to a cloud. However, video or audio descriptions are only stored on the cloud when a user accepts it.
The iPhone maker has already identified its plans for more capable Apple Home features with AI descriptions from security cameras. We’ll have to see how Apple’s brand of security products evolves, probably next year.
Gn tech
