The other hardware would be more iterative, but you might not necessarily mind. The star would be a sub-$200 take on the Learning Thermostat that would use lower-end materials (no metal ring here) and other cost-cutting measures. It could launch by 2018, the tipster says. There's also a second-generation Nest Cam, tentatively targeted for a fall release, that may learn to identify specific people. And there's even talk of Nest getting into the smart doorbell game. Much like Ring and similar products, you'd use a built-in camera in the doorbell to talk with would-be visitors even when you're far from home. The company is only "exploring" development, Bloomberg says, but the doorbell could be ready as soon as 2018.

The products don't sound revolutionary at first blush, but that may not necessarily be the point. Now that Nest is operating under the Alphabet banner, it's under greater pressure to improve its bottom line -- and that means releasing new products. An expanded lineup would also help Nest create a full ecosystem of home automation hardware, rather than focusing on just three areas like it has for the past few years.