The Nest thermostat launched last August shouldn't hide the forest: Google seems to be withdrawing from the home automation sector. The famous thermostat isn't sold in France, and it's been a while since we've seen new doorbells, cameras, or even connected speakers. The Chromecast range has been abandoned, certainly in favor of the TV Streamer... but which is sold much more expensively and doesn't quite fulfill the same functions.
Google quietly withdraws
New products are joining Google's graveyard. First, there is the Nest Protect, which has ceased production as many models reach the end of their lifespan. The smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have a lifespan of 10 years. The device was launched in 2013, before Google acquired Nest (it was in 2014 for $3.2 billion).
As for the Nest x Yale lock, launched in 2018, it remains on the shelves until existing stocks run out. Then it will be over.
Google isn't leaving users with nothing: the manufacturer is offering replacements for these two products, but they come from partnerships. The First Alert smoke detector is presented as the ideal alternative to the Nest Protect. Offering more or less the same functions, it is compatible with the Google Home app, but it is not sold outside the United States and Canada. A new Matter-compatible Yale lock will also be available later this summer.
These devices will no longer integrate the Nest brand, signaling a strategic shift at Google, which now favors third-party partners for its home automation products. The search engine assures that it will not abandon the market of home automation, however, by reminding the existence of the new thermostat.
But the precedent of Nest Secure and Dropcam cameras still lingers: by unplugging the servers of these home automation solutions last year, Google turned these devices into doorstops. What happens when the company gets tired of other Nest devices?
Source: ArsTechnica
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