Apple Stores Swap Nest Thermostat For HomeKit Devices

If you want to give your home an Internet of Things makeover courtesy of Google-owned Nest, don't head to your nearest Apple Store.

Cupertino has pulled the Nest Learning Thermostat from its online and brick-and-mortar shelves, making room for an early set of smart home products designed for its HomeKit platform.

This does not, however, mean the end of Nest products in the Apple Store.

"Apple is a valued partner to Nest and our new products will be available through Apple in the coming weeks," a Nest spokeswoman wrote in an email to PCMag.

The Nest Learning Thermostat continues to be sold in Apple retail stores in the U.K., Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

One of the first retailers to stock the tech-savvy appliance, Apple added Nest's smart thermostat to its inventory in May 2012, selling it for $249.95.

Three years later, the tech giant has replaced it with the HomeKit-enabled Ecobee3 Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat ($299.90 at Amazon).

Designed for multi-room homes, the Ecobee3 debuted in September. The sleek black thermostat can be mounted on any wall, while up to 32 remote sensors are placed around the house to measure and adjust temperatures. Users can also monitor and control the device while on the go, via a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or computer—specifically, Apple products.

Despite obvious similarities between the Ecobee3 and Nest's Learning Thermostat, the two are quite different: Nest's device takes a couple of weeks to understand you and your usage habits, while the Ecobee3 says it dives right into the energy savings.

Apple did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

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What Is a Smart Home Hub (And Do You Need One)?

Cupertino last summer unveiled HomeKit alongside iOS 8, promising home automation firms a new way to pair gadgets with the iPhone. The upcoming service will let consumers unlock the front door or open the garage with only their handset.

Google, meanwhile, introduced a new version of Android for Internet-connected home gadgets. Project Brillo aims to get your linked-up coffee maker and fridge to communicate with one another.

This is not the first time non-Apple products have been pulled from Cupertino's stores. Bose speakers were temporarily yanked amidst the Beats acquisition, while Nike and Jawbone also saw their gadgets disappear to make way for Apple's own wearable.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 10:10 a.m. Eastern with comment from Nest.