When People hear the name, Samsung, they immediately associate it with smartphones, tablets, and maybe Smart HDTVs. What many do not know is that Samsung also makes a complete line of home appliances – and when we say complete, we mean complete. They manufacturer refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, wall ovens, burners for countertops, washers, dryers and more! You could literally stock your home completely with Samsung made products – from their sophisticated Smart TV that hooks to the internet so you can stream TV shows, music, movies, play games and so much more to washing and drying your clothes in their high-tech digital machines. Jon Swartz, USA Today San Francisco Bureau Chief said, “Samsung really is a consumer electronics giant that really does everything…Don’t think of Samsung as a cellphone company. That’s just part of what they do.”
That very reason alone is why Samsung has the advantage over Apple and Google in controlling our ‘smart’ homes in the near future. Google purchased Nest that adds a smart thermostat to your home and can provided you with temperature control, as well as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Apple has made several acquisitions, including HomeKit, which will help users control their connected home devices. These are well and good, however, Samsung builds the devices that these other companies want to control, so it would be easy for Samsung to build the brains into their devices that the home user would be able to remotely control. Samsung has also been acquiring a few companies to help them in this area – last week they bought startup SmartThings and this week they purchased the air conditioner distributor Quietside.
Swartz said that, “Apple and Google are coming at it from a totally different viewpoint. Apple and Google already have the phones and the laptops within everyone’s home. What they don’t have are the TV sets or the microwaves and dishwashers that are under their brand name.”
Manufacturing the devices that you want to control in your smart home should make a big difference and give you an edge over your competitors, however, it remains to be seen if Samsung, Apple or Google will be able to pull off this ‘home invasion.’ Let’s not forget about our cable providers, as this is one area that they are working hard to get into. Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know if you are looking forward to a ‘smart home’…as always, we would love to hear from you.