The company collaborated with LG and Schneider Electric on products that work with its HomeView display.
Apple
Apple's much anticipated smart home launch event is here, and it has quite an array of new hardware to show off. In addition to the new HomeView smart display and updated Apple TV and HomePod mini, the company also announced an ecosystem of accessories that it designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These include home security cameras, video doorbells, thermostats and sensors, with an entire ecosystem that the company is calling the Apple Home Collection.
To be clear, these aren't just existing products that LG and Schneider repurposed to meet a set of specs just to qualify for a program. They were designed in collaboration with Apple, and are meant to be reliable, private and easy to set up. At the moment, the bulk of the devices that make up the collection are built by LG, including an indoor camera, an outdoor camera, a door lock, a video doorbell and a thermostat. Schneider Electric is behind a thermostat in the selection.
These are pretty straightforward gadgets with simple, almost minimalist designs. An indoor camera is there to help keep track of your belongings or pets at home when you're away, for instance, while the outdoor camera lets you see what's happening around your home. The LG outdoor camera that's part of the collection has a floodlight option that can gradually activate when it detects motion, which is probably nice for your retinas. It can also recognize faces, pets and deliveries, and your video history will be automatically saved, using your existing iCloud+ storage.
A similar product is the video doorbell, which doesn't just show you who's visiting but also alerts you to their presence via a chime on your HomePod (if you have one). It has a downward facing camera in addition to its front facing one to show you things that might be on the floor in front of your entryway, making it easier to keep tabs on deliveries. It also has a light for easier viewing at night.
Apple
Intriguingly, the LG door lock can sense your iPhone or Apple Watch via ultrawideband and unlock as you get closer, so you don't have to rummage around in your purse or pockets for a key. You won't even need to tap or press anything, which could be very convenient. And if your watch or phone isn't with you, it looks like there is a keypad with nine digits so you can enter a pin code for entry.
Finally, both LG and Schneider have made thermostats and sensors as part of the Apple Home Collection. Like many other connected thermostats like, say, Google's Nest Learning Thermostat, these can adjust your home's temperature systems throughout the day to help save energy.
Setting up these devices seems about as straightforward as pairing other Apple accessories with your phone. You should see onscreen guidance appear when you bring your iPhone close to the device you're installing and then follow the prompts. That will add them to your Home app, where you can see more details. Pretty much the same as setting up a HomePod mini.
Apple
Of course, since this is an Apple collection, privacy is a key focus. The new products can be managed and controlled by your Apple devices, and your communication is end-to-end encrypted.
The good news is, other than the camera products, you can use Apple Home Collection devices with other Matter-compatible platforms. That means you could control the LG thermostat with an Echo speaker or an Android phone, for instance. But with the cameras and doorbell, Apple has its own processes involving local buffering and encrypted uploads that aren't currently supported by Matter, so those devices will only work with Apple products.
The indoor cameras and thermostats will cost $199, while the outdoor camera starts at $329. With the floodlight, it goes up to $399. The door lock goes for $249 and the video doorbell is $349. All of them will be available in the US and Canada, and the cameras will come to the UK as well. You can get them from the Apple store first, with arrival set for December. Eventually, the Apple Home Collection is expected to be more widely available across retail channels.