Apple Store now selling ecobee3 smart thermostat, stokes 'smarthome' competition

Smarthome device maker ecobee scored coveted Apple Store shelf space as online and brick-and-mortar outlets on Monday started sales of the ecobee3 Internet-connected thermostat, one of the first products selected by Apple's retail arm to challenge Google-owned Nest.

The ecobee3 debuted in September as an answer to the industry's lack of support for multi-room spaces, something the company calls a fundamental design flaw in all thermostats. Instead of reading temperature from a single location, such as a hallway, the ecobee3 connects with up to 32 wireless remote sensors to automatically adjust HVAC settings in mulitple rooms.

As with other smart home thermostats, ecobee's device can be accessed and controlled via app, allowing for scheduling, remote control and off-site monitoring. With an iPhone or cellular-connected iPad, users are able to send commands to their system from anywhere with a data connection.

The ecobee3 continuously monitors air conditioner hardware and can send out alerts when something goes awry. Other notification options include temperature spikes and regular service reminders.

So-called smart thermostats have been around for some time, but it wasn't until the slick looking Nest Learning Thermostat first debuted as an Apple Store exclusive that the sector took off. Nest Labs, cofounded by former Apple exec Tony Fadell and engineer Matt Rogers, subsequently launched a connected smoke and carbon monoxide detector called Protect before being bought out by Google last year for $3.2 billion.

While Nest products still remain on Apple Store shelves, the ecobee3 will likely bring competition to the space with a rich feature set and $249.95 price tag, identical to Nest's Learning Thermostat.