There were rumors a few weeks ago that Samsung will be launching its very own AI speaker, driven by its digital assistant Bixby, soon. It will be competing with market leader Amazon and its various Echo devices, as well as the up-and-comer Google Home and Apple’s HomePod. But sources are now saying that top executives are not so keen about it anymore since they don’t think it’s that marketable due to the dominance of the aforementioned speakers.
The project, codenamed Vega, has reportedly been in the works for more than a year already. But an anonymous source has said that the company is rethinking this product since Amazon is “unbeatable” in this category globally. Currently, the various Amazon Echo devices has more than 70% of the global market share. Launching it only in their native Korea is also not practical given that it’s too small of a market to earn substantial profits. The main player there is SK Telecom’s NUGU which only sold 100,000 units.
Furthermore, Samsung’s AI specialists are focusing on fine-tuning the English version of Bixby, which just recently launched in the US after months of delay. They are also testing out the AI technology for their appliances like smart refrigerators, in case the technology takes off eventually. In their local market, companies are slowly getting on the AI bandwagon, but not significant enough apparently to get Samsung scrambling to join the party.
It looks like the Korean OEM is adapting a wait-and-see attitude rather than launching a new device in uncertain market conditions. Let’s see first how well Bixby does in the English-speaking markets before trusting in their current AI tech.
VIA: Korean Herald
