Leaked renders posted to X appear to show the first three pieces of hardware from Apple's smart home collaboration with LG: a deadbolt lock, a thermostat and a temperature sensor.
According to The Verge, the leak follows a Bloomberg report that Apple is working with LG on a line of smart home devices and accessories. Pricing and availability are still unknown, but the products are expected to integrate with Apple's rumoured smart home hub, which is reportedly set to launch on October 13.
The LG Smart Deadbolt Lock has a keypad described as rotating to open, an adjustable body designed so its rotating parts clear a nearby wall, automatic and tap-to-unlock, emergency power, adjustable lighting and an alarm for doors left open or unlocked. Alongside access codes and remote operation, it ships with two mechanical backup keys.
The LG Smart Thermostat is a circular unit with a large display for temperature plus readings such as humidity. Settings include a "Far Sight Display" mode, brightness and calibrated temperature offsets. An accompanying LG Temperature Sensor, which also measures humidity, can be placed in other rooms to feed the thermostat data; it has a magnetic back, an adhesive metal plate and a replaceable battery with low-battery alerts.
The shape of the line — a lock, a thermostat, a sensor — is familiar territory that Nest and others have occupied for years. What is new is that the hardware is being made by a partner rather than Apple itself, an approach that mirrors how Apple has increasingly relied on outside manufacturers for home accessories. If the October 13 date holds, Apple's answer to the smart home will arrive in the middle of the autumn product season, next to new phones and Macs.
