Apple Home Collection

Apple (MacRumors, Six Colors):

Apple today announced Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories — including indoor and outdoor cameras, thermostats, temperature sensors, and a video doorbell and door lock — designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These new accessories are simple to set up starting with one tap with iPhone, and everything is managed through the Apple Home app — no separate app or account required. Each accessory is encrypted end-to-end in Apple Home, so only users and the people they choose can access their home data.

• LG’s Video Doorbell offers dual cameras that capture separate views of visitors and packages — allowing users to switch between the front and bottom camera views seamlessly — along with a built-in spotlight and a chime that plays through HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. The front camera captures 2.5K resolution video, and the bottom camera captures full HD resolution.
• LG’s Floodlight Cam delivers powerful perimeter monitoring with adaptive dual floodlights that activate automatically when motion is detected, and low-light color night vision that preserves clarity in darker conditions so users can see more of what’s happening outside.

LG’s Smart Deadbolt Lock brings a new level of convenience to home access. Using Ultra Wideband technology, the lock can tell how close a user is and when they’re approaching the door. As a user with a home key on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch walks up, the door unlocks automatically, with no tapping required. Two new Smart Thermostats are available — one from LG Electronics and one from Schneider Electric — so users can choose the product that best fits their home’s broader energy ecosystem.

John Gruber:

The thing that makes this partnership awkward for Apple is that these products — doorbells, cameras, deadbolt locks — are products that require the utmost of trust. What products could possibly require more trust than a camera with footage of what’s going on in or at your home, or a lock that controls who can get in? I think that’s why Apple wants to get into this market with products that they can put their stamp of approval on. But LG, of all companies, was just exposed in a scandal for shipping “smart” TVs that literally listen to the ambient audio in the room — even in standby! — and invade your privacy by tracking what content appears on screen.

Previously:

• HomeView