Apple is reportedly recruiting LG to help build its first line of smart home hardware.
Bloomberg reports the two companies are co-developing a smart lock, a thermostat, a video doorbell, security cameras, and a floodlight. The hardware will carry LG's branding, not Apple's, even though Apple is involved in the design. The lineup is built to work with Apple's upcoming smart home hub, which could be announced as soon as next week, though it may not go on sale right away. That hub is expected to feature a 6-inch display and run Apple's updated Siri, which Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says can recognize individual household members and tailor its answers to them.
Partnering with LG lets Apple skip years of hardware manufacturing lead time in categories such as locks, doorbells, and cameras, where it has never shipped a product. It also sets up a direct fight with Amazon's Ring and Blink lines, which have owned the smart doorbell market for roughly a decade with little pushback from Apple.
Apple tried something similar with early HomeKit accessories, but those came from scattered third parties with no central hub. This time, the reporting suggests Apple wants its own hub at the center of the system, not just a certification badge on someone else's box.