Apple, Google and Samsung are showing their connected economy cards as the tech giants unveil new devices and services embracing voice, connected homes and possibly wearables.
Samsung seems to be taking a lead with its Galaxy Unpacked 2021 Part 2 event slated for Wednesday (Oct. 20), revealing more about its Bespoke Home and Samsung SmartThings virtual platform of connected tech, first seen during its May event.
In a blog post on Monday (Oct. 18), Chanwoo Park, VP and head of home IoT business at Samsung Electronics, laid out aspects of the company’s vision along these lines, saying, “Within the connected ecosystem of the Bespoke Home, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity come together to completely transform the home experience.
“While AI is leveraged to study usage patterns and give better recommendations, IoT allows your appliances to seamlessly interconnect within your home.”
During its “Unleashed” streaming event on Monday (Oct. 18), Apple announced new MacBook Pro designs bringing back external ports and physical keyboards. New AirPods got airtime, too, in an upgrade that saw a concurrent price cut in the existing — and now “outdated” — model.
Arguably the big reveal for connected living was the introduction of the Apple Music Voice Plan, a new voice-controlled subscription service. Apple Music and Beats Vice President Oliver Schusser said, “Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together. With Siri actively used on hundreds of millions of devices worldwide, we are thrilled to add this new plan that delivers an effortless music experience just by using your voice and makes Apple Music accessible to even more people around the world.”
As for Google’s Pixel Fall Launch event, set for Tuesday (Oct. 19), it’s rumored to focus on the new line of Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones, a new subscription bundle called Pixel Pass being compared to the Apple One subscription, and possibly news involving Google’s Wear OS watch.
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Connected Living Takes 3 Steps Forward
Taken together, this latest news finds the three titans embracing more connected use cases.
In his Oct. 18 blog, Samsung’s Park said the focus on connectedness “means your washing machine will remember your favorite cycle and have it ready to go on laundry day. Once you choose what you want to make for dinner, your smart oven will receive the recipe and set itself to the right temperature. Your robot vacuum is even able to recognize your pet, and will send you a video so that you can keep an eye on them even when you’re away from home.”
On Oct. 12, Samsung announced BESPOKE Studio, a new virtual showroom which the company called “an online flagship where users can browse, explore, learn more about their favorite products, purchase customized products online and join in on the conversation.”
Apple said the Apple Music Voice Plan “will be available later this fall in 17 countries and regions, adding, “Apple Music Voice Plan subscribers will get a customized in-app experience with suggestions based on the listener’s music preferences and a queue of recently played music through Siri. Within the app there will also be a dedicated section called ‘Just Ask Siri’ where subscribers can learn tips to optimize Siri for Apple Music.”
Gear geeks are hoping the much-anticipated Google Pixel 6 phones may be just the appetizer for announcement of a first-ever Google Pixel Watch. Samsung and Goggle currently partner on the Wear OS watch, but Android purists are hoping the Pixel event includes a new wearable.
Read also: How Consumers Live In The Connected Economy
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