Shipments of the Nest Learning Thermostat have arrived at several Apple stores, 9to5Mac reported on Wednesday. Apple is also selling the Nest in its online store.
Nest adapts to users' daily routines and temperature preferences. The thermostat asks questions at setup, like, "What temperatures should Nest use when you are away?" After that, the system remembers which time of day users change the temperature, and it begins to make routine daily adjustments - like turning off the AC when users leave for the day - automatically.
Nest users can manually adjust the temperature at any time using the thermostat on the wall (like any other unit), or remotely via an online control panel on the Nest website or an iOS app for the iPhone and iPad. Billed as an energy-saving improvement over traditional thermostats, the Nest sips power from the house's electricity supply and offers tips on energy conservation based on the home's usage patterns.
The deliveries to Apple continue a pattern of expanding sales for the popular connected home device. Nest Labs announced shipments to retailers in Canada on Tuesday, soon after bringing its products to Lowe's Home Improvement stores in the US. Nest's retail expansion comes in the wake of a patent suit filed by Honeywell in February, in which Nest filed a countersuit in April. This continues a trend of strong sales for the Learning Thermostat, whose first pre-orders sold out swiftly after their announcement last fall.
Nest's presence on Apple Store shelves has caused a buzz partly because of the connection between the two companies. Apple's former senior vice president of the iPod division, "father of the iPod" Tony Fadel, left Apple (citing personal reasons), and later founded Nest with former Apple lead software engineer Matt Rogers. The Nest's design and its ability to sync with iOS devices both seem to reflect the designers' time spent at Apple.
The Nest is available in select Apple Stores for the same $249 for which it sells on the Nest website.
