Samsung showcased its vision for IoT by making many Bixby and SmartThings-centric announcements at CES 2018. Samsung announced its DRVLINE self-driving car platform, new Family Hub refrigerators, 2018 SmartTV line-up, etc. – all of them linked to Bixby in one way or another. Bixby is a key component of the Samsung's IoT vision as technology is moving towards natural voice-based interaction with gadgets.
Samsung wants to accelerate the launch of Bixby-based home appliances to speed up AI advancement. The company will officially launch a new TV model in March in New York as part of the efforts. It is also planning to bring Bixby powered washing machines around the start of spring this year. “The time of the launches will vary slightly from country to country. It is part of a strategy to load Bixby into all of our products by 2020,” a Samsung Electronics official told the media.
Samsung wants all of its products to be IoT ready by 2020
Samsung has already outlined the new features coming to the 2018 SmartTV line-up. As expected, Bixby will play a central role in the new TV experience. The new features revolve around using Bixby for seamless setup, content discovery and sharing, smart home control, etc. Bixby-powered washing machines will gain smart features such as suggesting washing courses, detergent input, learning washing methods, ordering detergents, diagnosing product errors, etc.
AI assistants require huge amounts of user data to become smart. This is an area Samsung’s Bixby is lacking in comparison to the rivals. By launching many devices with Bixby, Samsung will be able to bridge the data gap and make its AI smarter. A smart AI assistant will immensely help Samsung in the IoT battle against rivals.
During the CES 2018 keynote, Samsung reiterated its plans to make all its products IoT ready by 2020. Currently, 90% of all the products Samsung makes are already IoT capable. Being a global giant in semiconductors, smartphones, and home appliances, Samsung has a tremendous opportunity to build a compelling IoT ecosystem powered by Bixby and SmartThings.
