LG Electronics and Schneider Electric each published their own announcements on October 13 alongside Apple’s, and both explain why they signed up to build hardware for Apple’s new smart home lineup. Apple’s Apple Home Collection press release says the accessories were “designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric,” with availability beginning in December and select accessories arriving in early 2027.
The products themselves are in our Apple Home Collection story.
LG: a step toward its “Zero Labor Home”
LG’s release is subtitled “The New Products Advance LG’s Zero Labor Home Vision Across Indoor and Outdoor Living Spaces.” In LG’s telling, the seven accessories “advance the company’s ambition to simplify everyday living by reducing the need for manual intervention and enabling more intuitive interactions between customers and their environments.”
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LG also stresses that this is more than a compatibility badge. “Moving beyond just device compatibility, Apple and LG developed these new products together from the early product planning stage, collaborating on hardware, software and user experiences,” the release says. LG describes the deal as “combining LG’s deep knowledge of product and homes with Apple’s platform expertise.”
Apple says everything is managed through the Home app with “no separate app or account required.” LG says its lineup launches in the U.S. and Canada “with support for Apple Home and LG ThinQ apps,” so LG’s own app stays in the picture as an option.
One LG executive, two titles
Both Apple and LG quote Kihyun Jung, but they describe his role differently, and the quotes are different too.
In Apple’s release, Jung is “LG Electronics’ executive vice president.” He says: “LG Electronics has spent decades developing technologies and products designed around the way people live. Working closely with Apple, we’ve co-created a more connected, intuitive, and convenient home experience for our customers.”
In LG’s release, Jung is “head of the Platform Business Center at the LG Home Appliance Solution Company.” There he says: “Creating a truly connected home requires products that work seamlessly together. By bringing LG’s expertise in home appliances and the home environment together with the Apple Home, we are creating intuitive, integrated experiences that fit naturally into customers’ daily lives.”
Schneider Electric: this is an energy play
Schneider makes fewer products for the collection, a Smart Thermostat and Room Sensor, plus three Power Mounts for Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted). Its GlobeNewswire release frames all of it around energy rather than gadgets, opening with: “Schneider Electric’s residential energy portfolio continues to expand, built to deliver home energy intelligence.”
The pitch rests on scale. Schneider says its technologies are “found in 4 out of 10 U.S. homes,” and it cites “190 years of expertise in the home’s electrical panel” and “a trusted ecosystem of more than 1 million electricians, installers, builders, and technology partners.”
The thermostat is the entry point to a bigger brand. Schneider says Schneider Home brings energy intelligence to the home “with solutions including the Smart Thermostat, EV chargers, circuit breakers, electrical panels, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and connected wiring devices.” The problem it says it is solving is that home energy is “operating in a siloed ecosystem across heating and cooling, water heating, EV charging, appliances, and connected devices.”
On what comes next, Schneider is specific about the venue but not the products: “more details will be shared at the 2027 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.”
Schneider’s release also brings its installer business into the story. Apple Retail’s paid installation service runs through ADT, and Schneider says “ADT also leverages the nationwide installer network from Qmerit, backed by Schneider Electric.”
What the executives said
Alongside the Jung quote above, Apple’s release carries these lines from Schneider’s CEO and from Apple’s Matthew Costello, vice president of Hardware Engineering.
- Olivier Blum, Schneider Electric’s CEO: “As a global leader in energy technology, we are proud to bring our experience in innovative and advanced climate control to Apple Home. Schneider Home’s new Smart Thermostat is a true collaboration with Apple to give customers a seamless way to help manage their home’s energy use, effortlessly blending efficiency with everyday comfort and simplicity.”
- Matthew Costello, Apple: “Working closely with industry leaders LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, we designed every accessory to work seamlessly with Apple Home, so managing your home is simple, reliable, and private.”
In Schneider’s own release, Blum, whom Schneider calls “CEO of Schneider Electric,” goes further: “The smartest home is one where every part works together, and that’s only possible through technology that enables energy intelligence.”
How the two pitches compare
| Item | LG Electronics | Schneider Electric |
|---|---|---|
| Products for Apple | Seven accessories: cameras, video doorbell, smart lock, thermostat, temperature sensor | Smart Thermostat, Room Sensor, three HomeView Power Mounts |
| Stated motive | “Zero Labor Home” vision | “home energy intelligence” |
| How it describes the work | Developed with Apple “from the early product planning stage” | Thermostat “co-developed with Apple” |
| Executive in own release | Kihyun Jung, head of the Platform Business Center at the LG Home Appliance Solution Company | Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric |
Where the partner releases differ from Apple
Read the partner releases for the strategy, but use Apple’s figures for buying. Schneider lists a “suggested MSRP of $199.99” for the Smart Thermostat and $39.99 for the Room Sensor, while Apple lists them at $199.95 and $39.95. Schneider also says customers can buy the thermostat and sensors in the Apple Store “beginning early next year,” which suggests they are among the accessories Apple says arrive in early 2027. Our thermostat comparison covers both models in detail.
