LG Electronics joins forces with Apple Inc. to expand its AI home ecosystem, rolling out a slew of new IoT products

[Financial News] LG Electronics has unveiled Internet of Things (IoT) devices developed jointly with Apple Inc., accelerating the expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) home ecosystem. The strategy is to combine LG Electronics’ home appliance manufacturing technology with Apple’s platform strengths to connect a range of household devices and create a hyper-personalized AI home environment that operates according to users’ lifestyles.
LG Electronics said on the 14th that it held a new product launch event with Apple Inc. in Manhattan, New York, on the 13th (local time), where it unveiled seven next-generation IoT devices. Attendees included Kwack Do-yeong, vice president and head of LG Electronics’ North America operations; Jung Ki-hyun, vice president and head of the HS Platform Business Center; and Matthew Costello, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering.
The products unveiled include seven items in total: an indoor camera and two outdoor camera models, a doorbell, a door lock, a thermostat and a temperature sensor. They are scheduled to launch first in North America, including the United States and Canada, and the United Kingdom later this year.
The two companies have worked closely together from the initial concept stage to achieve their shared goal of creating an intuitive, convenient AI home environment that blends naturally into customers’ everyday lives. Through this collaboration, they combined LG Electronics’ home appliance manufacturing capabilities and understanding of residential spaces with the user experience provided by Apple’s platform ecosystem.
Notably, all the new products work with both LG Electronics’ AI home platform, LG ThinQ, and the Apple ecosystem. Users can connect IoT devices with a single tap on Apple devices such as an iPhone or iPad. Device usage history is then stored in the cloud as personalized data, allowing users to check and control device status anytime, anywhere.
The companies have also enhanced tailored features for each product using AI technology. The thermostat analyzes the user’s location, time of day and weather, as determined through an iPhone and Apple Watch, to automatically control indoor heating and cooling. It also uses information collected by temperature sensors in different areas to optimize heating and cooling throughout the home.
The door lock is equipped with multiple sensors that detect subtle movements and a user’s intent to enter or leave. It can automatically open the door without any manual operation and immediately send alerts to mobile devices if anything unusual occurs, such as the door being left open, attempted tampering or unauthorized entry.
The indoor and outdoor cameras and the doorbell use Vision AI technology. The outdoor camera and doorbell distinguish among people, animals, cars and deliveries, providing alerts suited to the situation. The indoor camera recognizes people and pets and also detects unusual sounds, such as a baby crying or glass breaking.
The devices also have security features that work together. When a user returns home, the indoor camera automatically switches to privacy protection mode, while the outdoor camera monitors the area around the home 24 hours a day. The companies have also strengthened personal data protection by combining LG Electronics’ security solution, LG Shield, with Apple’s data encryption technology.
The products come in three colors: Essence Graphite, Essence White and Essence Silver. Their minimalist design, with seams kept to a minimum, is intended to complement a range of living spaces.
With these new products, LG Electronics plans to extend its AI home ecosystem to IoT devices, building on its AI appliances, AI home hub LG ThinQ ON and ThinQ platform. In particular, it aims to reach more customers in the global AI home market by connecting with Apple’s platform, which has at least 2.5 billion active devices worldwide.
“By combining LG Electronics’ expertise in home appliances and residential spaces with Apple’s unparalleled user experience and the two companies’ strong security capabilities, we will provide a safe and intuitive AI home experience,” said Jung Ki-hyun, vice president and head of LG Electronics’ HS Platform Business Center.
[email protected] Im Su-bin Reporter