The Apple Store is slowly becoming an all-in-one shopping experience, today adding the Nest Learning Thermostat to its inventory.
The thermostat, which is reminiscent of an iPod classic click wheel, is available now for $249.95, just $0.95 more expensive than its suggested retail price. It was added to Apple.com this morning after some brief downtime, prompting speculation in the Twitterverse about everything from new MacBooks to Skynet coming online.
The Nest thermostat already has an Apple connection. Tony Fadell, Nest co-creator, is a former Apple senior vice president, and was part of the creative team behind the original iPod and iPhone. While the thermostat has no direct connection to Apple products, its Wi-Fi capabilities allow control of the Nest from any iOS device â€" iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
The thermostat also works with a PC or Android smartphone to adjust scheduling, change the temperature, and check weather.
Old-fashioned twisting and button-pushing also work to control the climate; you can turn the dial or navigate through its menu by pressing the LCD screen. The modern thermostat can program itself by tracking the temperature settings used over a week, and energy-saving Auto-Away settings lower heat and cooling while you're not home.
Nest unveiled its Learning Thermostat in October, and several months later, the company was hit with a patent infringement suit. Honeywell claimed that "many of the key features of the Nest Labs thermostat are, in face, Honeywell inventions," according to the lawsuit.
Nest fired back, saying that the company does not use Honeywell patents, and that Honeywell's allegations "are hopelessly invalid." Richard "Chip" Lutton Jr., vice president and general counsel at Nest, said in April that "instead of filing lawsuits, Honeywell should use its wealth and resources to bring innovative products to the market."
Lutton is another ex-Apple employee; he was previously chief patent counsel for Cupertino.
Continuing its expansion, Nest announced on its blog Tuesday that the hockey-puck-like thermostat is now available in Canada. As noted by The Verge, however, it's not currently listed on Apple's Canadian website.
No comments:
Post a Comment