Apple-LG alliance targets smart homes... Joint development of doorbells, door locks, etc.

Apple joined hands with LG Electronics to target the smart home market combined with artificial intelligence (AI).

Bloomberg News reported on the 6th (local time), citing multiple sources, that Apple is jointly developing various smart home devices with LG Electronics.

According to Bloomberg, products scheduled to be released through cooperation between the two companies include video doorbells with cameras, smart door locks, security cameras, and smart temperature sensors and thermostats.

These products will be introduced to the market under the LG brand, and manufacturing, customer support, and sales will also be handled by LG Electronics.

Apple participates in product design and feature development, and also participates in supervising engineering design.

In fact, LG Electronics recently applied for regulatory approval for the devices from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and UL Solutions, a product certification agency.

Product names registered in the public database also bear the LG brand, such as 'LG Video Doorbell Wired', 'LG Outdoor Cam Plug-in', and 'LG Smart Deadbolt Lock'.

Smart door lock products are also equipped with an ultra-wideband (UWB) function that automatically unlocks when the user approaches.

However, the documents submitted to the regulatory agency did not specify whether there was collaboration with Apple.

These devices are scheduled to operate in conjunction with Apple's new smart home hub device that is scheduled to be released on the 13th, but the commercial launch of LG devices is expected to be several months later.

Apple's move is interpreted as a strategy to take the lead in the smart home market, which has been underperforming behind Amazon's 'Ring' and Google's 'Nest' by introducing the new voice assistant 'Siri'.

To this end, it appears that they have chosen to cooperate with LG Electronics, which has consistently achieved global results in the home appliance market and has continued to cooperate with Apple, especially in areas such as displays.

From LG Electronics' perspective, this cooperation is expected to serve as a stepping stone for expansion into the smart home business beyond white appliances and TVs. This is the first time that LG Electronics sells a smart door lock outside of Korea.

In the past, Apple has a history of using the 'second-party suppliers' strategy of expanding the ecosystem of product-related peripherals by using third-party brands such as 'Belkin' and 'Logitech'.