Toronto-based has ecobee scored a major win today in its mission to connect the worldâs homes. The companyâs ecobee3 Wi-Fi enabled smart thermostat has now been added to the Connected Home section of Appleâs U.S. online store. ecobee also told me the smart thermostat can be purchased in a similar fashion from Best Buy as well.
The distribution agreements should help into significantly increase the installed base of ecobeeâs latest smart thermostat, which is a complete overhaul from its predecessor. In a statement given to BetaKit, ecobee CEO Stuart Lombard was understandably âthrilledâ with the current market reaction to the ecobee3, but as of press time, has yet to comment on whether the company has plans to integrate with Appleâs HomeKit.
Itâs unlikely that Apple would start selling a smart thermostat that was not intending to integrate with the companyâs connected home framework. Then again, Apple is still selling smart thermostats made by Nest, a company recently acquired by Google for 3.2 billion. Notably, ecobee publishes its own API for developers to integrate their apps with the companyâs smart thermostats.
Update: Lombard has provided us with an official comment regarding ecobee’s current stance on HomeKit. âWeâre always looking at new technologies that enhance our customersâ experience,” he said. “Weâre currently evaluating HomeKit functionality and will keep you posted on any developments.”