While Nest Labs has had a close relationship with Apple in the past, all that could change after the company was purchased by rival Google. But Nest CEO and former Apple executive Tony Fadell has said in a new interview that it's entirely "up to Apple" how things proceed from here.
Fadell spoke with Bloomberg Television on Friday, where he discussed his company's recent acquisition by search giant Google. The Nest CEO was asked about his company's relationship with Apple, a company that he played a prominent role at in the past when he helped create the first iPod.
Nest has no plans to pull its products from Apple's retail stores or abandon iOS support for its devices, Fadell said. But as for the continued presence of Nest products at Apple stores in the future, he said that's a decision Apple has to make.
"We want to make sure that we offer those things to them (Apple customers), and it's for Apple to figure out whether or not they want to continue," Fadell said.
The Nest CEO referred to Apple as a "valued partner," and noted that he received congratulations from a number of his former colleagues at the company when the Google deal was announced earlier this month.
Google announced its purchase of Nest Labs for $3.2 billion earlier this month. In addition to the smart thermostat named Nest, the company also makes Protect, which is a connected smoke detector.
The Nest Learning Thermostat was originally an exclusive Apple Store product, reflecting the close relationship the company had with Apple. But since the Google deal was announced, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller "unfollowed" both Fadell and the Nest company's official Twitter accounts, offering a public signal as to how Apple officials feel about the deal.
However, Apple has not yet offered any sort of public comment on the matter, and has not signaled that it will pull Nest from its store shelves. As of Friday, both the Nest thermostat and Protect are still listed for sale on the company's website.