Episode summary
Apple to Launch Doorbell, Lock and Thermostat Developed With LG | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Mark Gurman
Summary
Apple is preparing a broader smart-home reboot that goes beyond its long-rumored hub with a display. Mark Gurman says the company is set to introduce a new HomePod mini, a new Apple TV set-top box, and a line of accessories that includes a thermostat, doorbell, deadbolt lock, temperature sensor, and three kinds of cameras.
A key wrinkle is Apple’s unusual partnership with LG Electronics. Gurman says the devices are being co-developed with LG as a kind of “second party” model: Apple is not simply making them itself, and LG is not just a generic third-party accessory maker. He argues that this should help Apple avoid premium Apple-branded pricing on the accessories while still building a tightly integrated ecosystem.
Gurman frames the move as Apple’s attempt to recover from years of weak smart-home execution. He says Google and Amazon remain the main U.S. competitors and that Apple’s HomeKit strategy has had major problems, so the bar is low. The products are expected to arrive next Tuesday, with Thread and Matter helping Apple, Google and Amazon devices work together across platforms.
Key takeaways
- Mark Gurman says Apple is about to roll out a smart-home reboot built around a display hub, a new HomePod mini and a new Apple TV set-top box.
- Gurman says Apple and LG co-developed accessories including a thermostat, doorbell, deadbolt lock, temperature sensor and three cameras.
- He argues the LG partnership should keep accessory pricing more competitive than typical Apple-branded hardware.
- Gurman says Google and Amazon are still the big smart-home players in the U.S., while Apple’s HomeKit has “so many issues.”
- He says the new products are due next Tuesday, and Thread and Matter should let devices from Apple, Google and Amazon work together.
Notable quotes
“they've partnered with LG to develop a slew of new accessories. You mentioned some of them”
“There's a thermostat, there's a doorbell, there's a deadbolt lock, there's a temperature sensor, and then there's three types of cameras”
“Apple is working. They've co-developed this with LG”
“These are not Apple, you know, branded products. So they don't need to carry that higherend price tag”
“It's very early and you know, the last 12 years of Apple in the smart home uh has gone as poor as probably could be”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio. — So, how about an Apple doorbell? — Maybe. Okay. An Apple lock. — Okay. — Uh, an Apple thermostat? — I say no, because I don't let anyone in my house touch the thermostat but me.
Do you have a high-tech house? No, we don't. We have a doorbell and that's it.
Well, we know Apple is coming for the home. Uh we know that thanks to the ongoing insight and reporting out of our own Mark German. He's Bloomberg news managing editor for global consumer tech.
He is the host of the recently launched Poweron podcast and of course the keeper and writer of his power on newsletter which you can subscribe to on the Bloomberg at Bloomberg.com. He is out there in the Bloomberg News LA bureau. She may not have a connected house.
I kind of do and I'm waiting to see if my husband's going to go all in on Apple. Um, Mark, they've been focusing on the house. So, this is now we're getting details.
Uh, yes. So, I've been reporting for the last two to three years or so that Apple uh is introducing a slate of new home devices as part of a reboot to their smart home smart home strategy. Of course, the flagship device is this smart home hub with a display.
There's a new HomePod mini, a new Apple TV settop box, but they're going further than that. And they're introducing this all next week. They're going further by introducing an ecosystem of accessories that play in to this new uh smart home platform.
And so they've partnered with LG to develop a slew of new accessories.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- apple smart home hub
- lg partnership
- homepod mini
- smart home devices
- consumer tech
Companies and tickers mentioned
- AAPL
- LGL
- Apple Inc.
- LG Electronics Inc.
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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