Amazon, Google face new smart home rival as Apple preps smart home blitz

Apple is preparing its most direct challenge yet to Amazon and Google in the connected home, lining up a new hub and a slate of security and climate devices developed with LG Electronics, according to people familiar with the plans.
The products — a doorbell, deadbolt lock, thermostat, indoor camera, outdoor camera and floodlight camera — are designed to work with an Apple smart-home ecosystem the company has been rebuilding for years, Bloomberg News reported. The hardware is expect