Smart home in the eyes of a big guy: a lack of killer apps

From home to abroad, countless manufacturers are scrambling to eat smart home cakes. For example, Apple has released the smart home management application HomeKit. Google after a hefty acquisition of Nest, and the olive branch to the home video surveillance company Dropcam. In this smart home list, we can also list a long series of names, such as Samsung, 360, Hisense and so on. But do these companies have the same understanding of smart homes?

Recently, Sohu it intensively visited a number of listed companies of the senior, trying to clarify the following several issues.

1, domestic mainstream companies to smart home investment is what situation?

2, where is the resistance of smart home popularization?

3, the big manufacturers in the eyes of smart home what is different?

In this survey, different manufacturers for smart home produced a fierce ideological collision and confrontation of views. But there are some common points of view, such as: The smart home market has not yet erupted, this market for ordinary users is not a just need, because the lack of killer applications, ordinary users of smart home response to the cold, only geeks become smart home enthusiasts. Participation in the survey of the company has 360, Hisense, Skyworth, TCL, Lenovo, Lok Vision, Baidu's Archie art, Youku potatoes. Interviewed by the senior executives of Hisense Group Digital Multimedia Technology National Key Laboratory director Wang Yongjin, Lenovo Intelligent Television general manager Ningzhong Wei, TCL Communications Group Coo Wang, TCL Vice President Liang, Skyworth Group Software Research Institute of the Dean Wang, 360 Vice President Shen Haiyin, music as Senior vice President Peng Gang, Archie vice president of Chiyo and Youku Potato Group Intelligent TV Division general manager Wu Yi.

The following is a summary of the views of the big boys and the ideological confrontation:

First, the domestic mainstream companies to smart home investment is a situation?

Summary: At present, domestic enterprises for intelligent home investment, there are 3 kinds of models. 1 species are pilot-type, that is, the company took out a department to do pilot experiments, the introduction of a number of conceptual products, but these products are not put to market; 1 are cross-sectoral collaboration, mobilize the resources of several departments to jointly create the concept of smart home; the last 1 kinds of enterprises are subject to a single product line, To make use of the entire company's resources to do a product, and the product as a smart home center.

1, cross-sectoral combat type

Under the guidance of Li, TCL group set up a dedicated smart home joint working Group. The department is mainly integrated TCL Multimedia, TCL Communications and TCL home appliances resources. At present, the Joint Working Group has many mature cases to market. It needs to be noted that TCL had been experimenting with smart homes a few years ago, but the project was being taken to the TCL Smart Home Joint Working Group, which was focused on the project.

2, small Department pilot type

At the 360 earnings meeting, Zhou was also keen to talk about smart homes. Shen Haiyin said that the future investment in smart home will certainly become more and more, the current business by the 360 Intelligent Hardware Division is responsible for, in addition to the aforementioned security routes, Zhi and smart home related projects are placed here.

Video sites can also be seen as this kind of representative, because they are mainly through the cooperation with hardware manufacturers to enter the living room of smart home. such as Youku potatoes, set up a dedicated team and television manufacturers to work together, the latter focus on hardware, Youku focus on video content experience.

Archie and Youku are similar, and the difference is that Archie is more radical in this field. The former and TCL jointly launched TCL Archie Art television.

3, Product incubation research type

Skyworth Company for Intelligent Home research, mainly divided into two parts. The software team is responsible for the Skyworth Institute, the hardware team is composed of Skyworth Nanjing Branch, in which, the software is the key, because Skyworth thinks the core of intelligent home is intelligent software control and intelligent algorithm. From the integration of existing resources, Skyworth integrated the ice washing products, home appliances products and lighting products, to carry out the relevant attempts.

Second, where does the resistance to the popularity of smart homes come from?

Summary: On this topic, the opinion is more unified, that is the smart home does not usher in its market eruption period. The reason for this is diversity, summed up there are a few: 1, this is not a rigid demand. 2, the cost of transformation is too high, resulting in only geeks interested. 3, lack of killer application, care for less people. 4, the manufacturers walked into the intelligent home and intelligent home error.

1, the lack of killer application smart home is not just a need

Shen Haiyin that, smart home is the misunderstanding, is now for intelligence and intelligence, stay in a geek level, the general public demand for this piece is not big. The point is that there is no killer application in the smart home to detonate the market.

Data show that Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai to do a lot of smart home, a group of people have been "dead on the beach." The reason for this is that these companies do not grasp the consumer's pain point, that is to say, has not been able to attract consumer killer application.

Into the 2014, playing smart home concept of the product significantly increased, Changhong CHIQ series TV and refrigerator, its intelligent refrigerator with voice messages, food management, remote order vegetables and other functions. The United States is also the introduction of a full range of intelligent white products, but from the financial statements of these companies, these high value-added products did not bring good results to the company, the reason, or is the lack of killer application and lead to users to a new product at a respectful distance.

Skyworth is that the prevalence of intelligent home resistance is that the market is not just needed, and smart home products, the transformation costs are too high, many manufacturers are smart home and home. At present, Skyworth already has the experience product, but did not introduce the intelligent home concept, the reason is also here.

Tcl Wang also thought that the blasting point of intelligent home did not come, which in a way affect the popularity of smart home.

Another consequence of the market's failure is the cost of time. Youku potatoes that the company has done a lot of things, such as with Changhong, Haier, China, Konka and other well-known television manufacturers to reach a cooperation. However, there are about 400 million of the amount of TV in China, and it takes about 10 years for all to be switched to smart TV.

2, the technology is not unified, each other, overdraft concept

Tcl Liang said that, subject to different technical standards, each home according to their own ideas to do smart home, which in a way is also a kind of resistance.

Hisense also believes that the current smart home industry there are many problems, such as a large number of rapid convergence of resources, repeated input, easy to fall into the plagiarism and price wars, from the blue Ocean to the Red Sea may only be a moment of conversion. In addition, for a long time, smart home industry exaggerated gimmick, overdraft concept, users lack of trust.

3, the market is still in the stage of being educated

Ningzhong Wei said that the concept and external environment is the impact of the popularity of smart home 2 reasons, for example, the average consumer's knowledge and acceptance of smart home products, which is still a need for education market; In addition, the bandwidth test the trend of China's smart home, in many parts of China, bandwidth still has some problems.

Third, the big manufacturers in the eyes of smart home what is different?

Summary: In this link, the difference between enterprises is relatively large. Most manufacturers believe that the core of smart home is interconnection, or to one as the center, to achieve interoperability of all equipment. But there is also the view that the real smart home is not required manual intervention, is completely intelligent.

1, there's no need for human intervention at all.

For the future of Smart home, Shen Haiyin said, the so-called remote control is only a step in the smart home, the ultimate goal of smart home is that people do not need to operate, completely by induction can be completed, the best intelligence is not required manual intervention.

2, have just need the application scene, only then is the intelligent home

Skyworth believes that smart home must consider the application scenario, from the user's just need to start, for example, the alarm clock is a person's just need, you can consider the alarm clock and curtain switch, music playback of the combination. Simple remote control of the washing machine or air-conditioning products, there is no meaning.

Lenovo Ningzhong Wei that TV is a just need, smart home is the Internet and intelligent collocation, is a smart home appliances, intelligent Routing and other products composed of a comprehensive solution, but smart TV will become the core of this smart home.

3, must be interconnected

Tcl Liang that, in line with the basic requirements of interconnection interoperability, basically can be called smart home. The view is similar to the idea that smart home will eventually be the core of television to connect all household appliances to achieve intelligence.