American tech giant Apple and South Korea's LG have joined forces to launch a new line of smart home gadgets, according to infohub.kz.
Citing Bloomberg, the companies are already working on several devices. These include indoor and outdoor cameras, a camera with a floodlight, a video doorbell, a smart thermostat and an electronic lock. The latter will automatically open the door when the owner approaches the house.
The devices, however, will not be sold as Apple products — they will be released under the LG brand.
The South Korean company will handle manufacturing, customer support and sales of the finished devices. Apple, for its part, is involved in developing the design, features and technical components.
The main idea is for all these devices to work with Apple's upcoming smart home system. For example, a central control hub could be used to monitor the cameras or open the door.
The company is expected to unveil it on October 13. The device will feature a screen of roughly 16 cm. It can be placed on a table or mounted on a wall. Alongside it, Apple is also preparing updated HomePod mini and Apple TV models.
The first devices created under the partnership are expected to go on sale a few months after Apple launches its new line. Exact prices have not yet been announced.
Why Apple needs LG
For Apple, this is more than just the release of a few new gadgets. The company is trying to gain a more prominent position in the smart home market, where Amazon and Google are currently strong.
According to Seoul Economic Daily, Apple is preparing to re-enter this market almost from scratch. However, the company does not have its own manufacturing capacity for the necessary hardware. Building cameras and locks from the ground up and then servicing them itself would be expensive and time-consuming.
That is where LG comes in. The company has long been known for its refrigerators, televisions and other home appliances. It, too, wants to expand its smart home business. The partnership allows LG to link its hardware to Apple's vast ecosystem and gain access to its users.
Experts believe the partnership could become even more interesting in the future. If LG devices work well within Apple's system, the next step could be closer integration with home appliances. For example, a smartphone could interact not only with a camera but also with a refrigerator or other LG appliances.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that the new iPhone 18 Pro costs noticeably more in Kazakhstan at launch than in the United States. According to EnergyProm, an iPhone 18 Pro with 256 GB of storage costs $1,199 in the US.