Strategy in TECH...
Several announcements emerged this week from the Samsung Developer Conference being held in San Francisco – an event that has largely represented the launch of the first wave of Samsung’s assault on the Internet of Things (IoT) market. One announcement that caught our eye is the news that Samsung and Legrand have partnered on a new Thread-enabled lighting switch.
In a move that appears to indicate that major TV makers are finally accepting the reality that consumers don’t want 3D TVs, Samsung and LG are said to be limiting or eliminating the feature from future TV models. Some may say, ‘What took you so long?’ But the reality is that the industry invested billions of dollars developing the technology and has been slow to eliminate it – saying that there are still some enthusiasts that love 3D content.
CES is back and its bigger than ever. According to the CTA (formerly CEA), the show spans 2.3 million sq.ft. of exhibit space, in which more than 3,600 exhibitors of all sizes and types have set up booths to hawk their wares. The show is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees and 6,000 member of the press. It is impossible to cover the entire event…it has just gotten too large.
Luckily, with the industry stuck in several well-worn trends, we in the media can focus our attention beyond these usual suspects – automotive tech (autonomous vehicles and related technologies), drones, 4K UHD TV, Internet of Things (IoT), wearables – to new areas (such as Virtual Reality), and iterative updates from current companies.
Several reports have emerged saying that Apple, Inc. has told suppliers that it is committed to upgrading the displays on its popular iPhone from the current LCD-based touchscreen to an OLED display, starting in 2018. This decision has industry-wide ramifications and has suppliers scrambling to increase the capacity of their OLED factories. There are also competitive ramifications from this decision that is bound to rattle competitors.
Korean media is reporting that Samsung Electronics has re-prioritized its product development plans – now setting its sights on the Internet-Of-Things (IoT) and drone product categories as its targeted growth categories. The company had also been considering pursuing 3D printing, but has put that initiative on the back-burner as it is believed to have a longer horizon to achieve profitability.
New York City in June sees temperatures rise in response to the onset of summer and also, hopefully, in response to the launch of the hottest new technologies being shown at CE Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building exposition spaces in Manhattan. We awaited this year’s edition with great anticipation as it occurs in the wake of a major change in the show’s backers – and is the follow-up to the surprisingly meaningful show last year.
Samsung Electronics has taken the unusual step of selling smartphones in Japan that do not bear the Samsung brand name. We’ve never heard of this before, but if you want a Samsung smartphone in Japan, you have to purchase a “Galaxy” smartphone.
In a new report out of Japan, Sony’s TV business is said to be expected to report an operating profit this fiscal year – its first after ten years of losing money. Due to an improved situation in the U.S. market, the report credits the turnaround in Sony’s U.S. results largely as a function of its tightened partnership with retailer Best Buy.
