It looks like Google's Nest has a new thermostat coming
The company revealed in filings with the FCC on Thursday that it has a new "wireless device" under development. Nest was mum about specifics in the filing, and as is customary, asked that the agency temporarily keep confidential any photos of the product as well as the user manual and other potentially tell-tale information.
One possibility is that the new wireless device is a new version of its smart thermostat, the product that Nest first released back in 2012. In June, Nest revamped its other products, unveiling a new version of its security video camera and a new version of its smoke alarm.
The thermostat is due for an upgrade and it could be the first fresh Nest product as the organization begins its new life under Google's revamped Alphabet corporate structure. Nest, which is led by former Apple executive Tony Fadell, will be one of several standalone companies, along with Google's life sciences business and Google's high-speed Internet access business, that will all live under the umbrella of the Alphabet parent company when the change happens later this year.
There are two other clues in the FCC filings that suggest a new version of the so-called Learning Thermostat is on the way.
The image of the device's information label that Nest provided (see image on the right) is round, similar to the company's puck-shaped thermostat.
And the product's identification code seems to suggest it's related to the company's existing thermostat and not an entirely new product. The new wireless device is identified in the filings as ZQAT30. The previous version of the Nest was ZQAT20.
Notice that both devices share the AT in common. That distinguishes them from ZQAS10, the first version of the Nest Protect smoke alarm, and ZQAS30, the recently introduced update to the smoke alarm.
A new Nest thermostat could also explain why Apple has begun pulling the Nest from its product shelves. There has been speculation that Apple removed the Nest thermostats for competitive reasons, but it's possible that Apple was simply clearing the way for a new version of the product.
We've reached out to Nest for comment and will update if we hear anything back.