The first product from Tony "Father of the iPod" Fadell since he left Apple, the Nest is billed as a 'learning thermostat' that endeavors to optimize indoor climate control functions, and thereby reduce energy use and utility bills.

Being published in a tropical swelterland where all thermal controls are locked to their lowest possible settings, Object has no concept of the Nest's value apart from its minimalist industrial design, reminiscent of the finest Swedish egg timers.  Simply by reimagining an appliance that most never give a second thought as a USD$249 high-tech regulating nerve center for a home's energy consumption, the Nest gets our vote.

More interesting is what it heralds. Much has been made of how Apple's ex-designers and engineers may soon infiltrate the world of consumer electronics, bringing their tastes and sensibilities — honed by years of the finest abuse — to product categories Apple will never see fit to explore. That's certainly something to celebrate, but having these extensions of the Cupertino company's design values in mainstream products will invite a wave of superficial imitation by Chinese manufacturers like never before. You already see it in those hastily glassed-and-aluminized (really plastic) designs on nameless harddrive enclosures, battery packs, portable media players, and even laptops by HP. Imagine a bizarro world filled with bad, Apple-inspired everything.