Nest thermostat now available for $250 in Apple's online store

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
After more than nine hours of downtime, the Apple online store returned Wednesday morning offering the Nest Learning Thermostat for $250.

The new product was created by ex-Apple executive Tony Fadell, who is credited with the title "grandfather of the iPod." The thermostat is the first product from startup Nest Labs, which was founded by Fadell after he left Apple in 2010.

Last week, word first surfaced that Apple would also begin stocking the Nest thermostat at its brick-and-mortar stores. The inclusion of the thermostat is interesting, as the device is not directly associated with an Apple product. Most third-party products carried by Apple are offerings like iPhone cases, speakers and other accessories.

Though he is the former vice president of Apple's iPod division, and the Nest thermostat has its own iPhone application on the App Store, Fadell no longer has any official ties with Apple.

"The Nest Learning Thermostat helps you stop wasting energy, while providing control using your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac," the official product description reads on Apple's online store.

Nest


"Consider that your thermostat controls about half your energy bill—more than TV, appliances, and lighting combined. But it's wasting energy every time it turns on the heating or cooling system in an empty house. The Nest Learning Thermostat solves this problem by programming itself, turning itself down when you're away, and keeping track of your energy use."

The Nest thermostat is advertised as being compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, all iPad models, and the fourth- and third-generation iPod touch. Features of the device, as highlighted in the Apple store, include:
  • Remembers preferred temperatures
  • Creates a personalized schedule
  • Turns itself down when your house is empty
  • Uses Airwave to automatically lower cooling costs
  • Change the temperature from anywhere
  • Control Nest anywhere with iPhone, iPad, or Mac
  • Shows exactly when heating or cooling was on
  • Points out what causes spikes in energy use
The product available for sale comes with the thermostat display, the thermostat base, installation and "Start Here" guides, mounting screws and labels, and an optional mounting kit. Customers can also visit the official Nest website to ensure that the product is compatible with their existing air condition system.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    What is THIS tripe?!


     


    Screen Shot 2012-05-30 at 9.27.08 AM.png


     


    What's wrong with "Apple Store Online" as a page title?!


     


    This isn't Micro Center, for frick's sake. This is Apple.


     


    Also, the Nest thermostat doesn't seem to be under any category at all, so you have to know it's there and search for it by name to find it.


     


    Screen Shot 2012-05-30 at 9.30.46 AM.png

  • Reply 2 of 54
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    The inclusion of the thermostat is interesting, as the device is not directly associated with an Apple product. Most third-party products carried by Apple are offerings like iPhone cases, speakers and other accessories.

     


     


    Actually AI, it's not interesting because Apple has been selling a host of third-party App-Enabled Accessories such as an iGrill Grilling/Cooking Thermometer, blood pressure monitor, Golfsense sensor, and so forth for quite sometime.  At least you weren't as ignorant as Gizmodo when they sarcastically asked, "what's next, domestic appliances?"   


     

  • Reply 3 of 54
    spindriftspindrift Posts: 674member


    I've been waiting for these to come to the UK since I first read about them. They're a cracking little device and I was even willing to change my boiler to one compatible (need a new boiler anyway). Sadly they don't make an EU version or ship outside of the US at the moment. Meh.

  • Reply 4 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    markbyrn wrote: »
    Actually AI, it's not interesting because Apple has been selling a host of third-party App-Enabled Accessories such as an iGrill Grilling/Cooking Thermometer, blood pressure monitor, Golfsense sensor, and so forth for quite sometime.  At least you weren't as ignorant as Gizmodo when they sarcastically asked, "what's next, domestic appliances?"   
    <h1 id="user_coherent_id_50" style="margin-top:9px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:-1px;padding-top:9px;font-weight:bold;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);width:440px;line-height:1.2em;font-family:'Lucida Grande', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"> </h1>

    Didn't all those items come out with access exclusivly via an Apple device whereas Nest was designed around iOS and Android from the start?
  • Reply 5 of 54
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    What is THIS tripe?!


     


    Screen Shot 2012-05-30 at 9.27.08 AM.png


     


    What's wrong with "Apple Store Online" as a page title?!


     


    This isn't Micro Center, for frick's sake. This is Apple.


     



     


    What's wrong with it? Tripe is false or worthless - certainly you are not claiming that the information is false - so you must think it is worthless (unless you are simply mis-using the word tripe). 


     


    Assuming that you are in fact claiming that the information is worthless I would posit that that this is a matter of opinion - and you know what they say about opinions. 


     


    So exactly what is your beef with a page title that goes beyond the most simplistic information? 


     


    Do you also not like the iPod page title that says: Apple - Play Music and More on iPod -- surely even aboriginal people in the outback of Australia know what an iPod is and what you can do with it and Apple should stop wasting the extra bandwidth it takes to transmit those extra bytes every time someone hits the page and spend that money on R&D. 


     


    How about the iTunes page title: Apple - iTunes - Everything you need to be entertained. That sounds like to me like the basis for a class action lawsuit - how can iTunes be EVERYTHING you need to be entertained - surely you need a device on which to run iTunes, maybe some popcorn... 


     


    While we are at it - lets not leave others out of this - www.usa.gov has this page title: USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal  -- who would have guessed. 


     


    Seriously - did someone wiz in your Wheaties this morning or what? for all the folks who post on these pages that the original AI content is lacking of newsworthiness did you really think your rant about a page title would set the internet abuzz with meaningful discussion? 


     
  • Reply 6 of 54
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    Last week, word first surfaced that Apple would also begin stocking the Nest thermostat at its brick-and-mortar stores. The inclusion of the thermostat is interesting, as the device is not directly associated with an Apple product. Most third-party products carried by Apple are offerings like iPhone cases, speakers and other accessories.


     


    it is connected to an iOS app same as the baby monitors, weight scales, blood pressure cuffs etc. 

  • Reply 7 of 54
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    Didn't all those items come out with access exclusivly via an Apple device whereas Nest was designed around iOS and Android from the start?


     


    So what. Apple sells lots of hard drives that could be reformat to work with Windows machines, microphones that work with PCs etc. 

  • Reply 8 of 54
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lilgto64 View Post

    What's wrong with it?


     


    Apple isn't some dime store sleazy website operation.


     


    Quote:


    So exactly what is your beef with a page title that goes beyond the most simplistic information? 



     


    It is completely and utterly unnecessary, and therefore shouldn't have been added. It's like adding a PS/2 port to the iPad.

  • Reply 9 of 54
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    What is THIS tripe?!



     


    it's not rubbish. It's accessibility. That information is used by Voice Over systems like the ones that Apple has in their OS for those that are visually impaired. Same reason for alt tags on images. Especially if they are also links. 


     


    Now it would be nice, to spare folks like you the 'rubbish' if they could come up with a new tag that makes that kind of text invisible to the eye but not the voice but that hasn't happened yet so you'll just have to deal 

  • Reply 10 of 54
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    Didn't all those items come out with access exclusivly via an Apple device whereas Nest was designed around iOS and Android from the start?


     


    I don't know but not all the Apple Store 3rd party app-enabled products are exclusive to iOS.  For example, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 can be controlled with an iOS or Android application.  Regardless, the articles I've read about Apple selling the Nest suggest that Apple is doing something outside their normal business practice, perhaps because the Nest was made by a former Apple exec.  It's not true though since Apple has been selling third party app-enabled products for a long time.  Shlocky journalism.   

  • Reply 11 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    charlituna wrote: »
    So what. Apple sells lots of hard drives that could be reformat to work with Windows machines, microphones that work with PCs etc. 

    So what indeed. Those items you mention are standard components, peripherals and accessories but Nest is not. Nest is an independent device just like Apple's products are independent devices. It's very, very different than a pair of Shure of headphones which makes this a unique change in the type of items Apple sells. Why is that a bad thing? It follows Apple's philosophy, it was started by an ex-Apple employee, and I'm sure Apple is getting a huge chunk of their profit for getting the high-profile placement within an Apple Store. It's a good thing for Nest.
  • Reply 12 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    markbyrn wrote: »
    I don't know but not all the Apple Store 3rd party app-enabled products are exclusive to iOS.  For example, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 can be controlled with an iOS or Android application.  Regardless, the articles I've read about Apple selling the Nest suggest that Apple is doing something outside their normal business practice, perhaps because the Nest was made by a former Apple exec.  It's not true though since Apple has been selling third party app-enabled products for a long time.  Shlocky journalism.   

    The AR.Drone is controlled by Android now but originally it was iOS exclusive. I'm glad to see Apple doesn't have a rule that restricts these vendors from releasing an app on a competitor's platform if they want to sell in their store. I can certainly see Apple doing something like that.
  • Reply 13 of 54
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member


    Cool news. Apple's always been good with appliances.

  • Reply 14 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    After more than nine hours of downtime, the Apple online store returned Wednesday morning offering the Nest Learning Thermostat for $250.


     


    The Canadian store was also down, but there's no mention of the Nest there and someone mentioned it's only available in the US... so why were other stores down? Do all the stores go down for one update in one place?

  • Reply 15 of 54
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    I'm glad to see Apple doesn't have a rule that restricts these vendors from releasing an app on a competitor's platform if they want to sell in their store. I can certainly see Apple doing something like that.


     


    I can't see Apple doing that.  If that was the case, they wouldn't sell 3rd party printers that work with a PC as well as Mac.  Even their own products such as AirPort Extreme Base Station work with a PC.  Requiring that 3rd party products only work with Apple stuff would mean less sales.     

  • Reply 16 of 54
    powermachpowermach Posts: 90member


    It's really no big deal. Just another 'thing' you can buy that interfaces with your iOS device. Extensions to your ecosystem, if you will.


     


    http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/ipad_accessories/app_enabled

     

  • Reply 17 of 54
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpinDrift View Post


    I've been waiting for these to come to the UK since I first read about them. They're a cracking little device and I was even willing to change my boiler to one compatible (need a new boiler anyway). Sadly they don't make an EU version or ship outside of the US at the moment. Meh.



     


    I think it's such a huge marketing mistake for them to have that giant "72" (degrees) on the box and on all the product shots too.  They do ship these to Canada I think, and I'd be pretty gob-smacked if they didn't also do Celsius (It would actually be illegal to sell them in Canada if they didn't), but it's such a stupid move in terms of advertising their product to the rest of the world.  


     


    USA is almost the only country on the planet that doesn't have Celsius now as the official temperature standard.  To advertise your product with a temperature that would read as deadly to the largest part of your potential audience is just dumb IMO.   

  • Reply 18 of 54
    caliminiuscaliminius Posts: 944member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    USA is almost the only country on the planet that doesn't have Celsius now as the official temperature standard.  To advertise your product with a temperature that would read as deadly to the largest part of your potential audience is just dumb IMO.   



     


    The U.S. is currently their ONLY audience for this product, thus using Farenheit makes sense. Otherwise, it would appear to be reading a temperature that was below freezing to their target customers, which would be just as dumb.


     


    (No, the U.S. Apple Store doesn't ship to Canada.)

  • Reply 19 of 54
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    USA is almost the only country on the planet that doesn't have Celsius now as the official temperature standard.  To advertise your product with a temperature that would read as deadly to the largest part of your potential audience is just dumb IMO.   



    Well if they're advertising in the USA, showing 70 degrees as 21 might lead people to believe the thermostat is broken.  Of course if they sell in Canada, they should change the adverts to celsius as well as advertise in French.  Not everything has to be the same everywhere, eh?  

  • Reply 20 of 54
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    USA is almost the only country on the planet that doesn't have Celsius now as the official temperature standard.  To advertise your product with a temperature that would read as deadly to the largest part of your potential audience is just dumb IMO.   



    The product is obviously only targeted towards the US market at the moment, so the rest of the world is irrelevant.


     


    And somebody would have to be pretty dumb and extremely ignorant (no matter where they come from) to not realize that the 72 depicted is in Fahrenheit.

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