While the rumors surrounding Samsung’s foray into the IoT for homes has been spreading like wild fire, new reports confirm that the company is planning on bringing Bixby to homes to take on Amazon, Google, and now Siri, who have already taken over a major chunk of the market share.
According to a report from the Korea Herald, the new unannounced Bixby device will serve as a digital assistant that will be able to respond to commands through voice. The AI-powered assistant has not yet made itself to the mainstream just yet and has only popped up so far on the latest Samsung Galaxy flagship phones. Despite, Samsung seems eager to release a competitor in the home space that can take on its AI-based rivals. Samsung has already been three months behind the Bixby English language release and considering that Home speakers are predominantly used in the English-speaking countries, Samsung will want to try and clear those discrepancies.
It has been said that the speaker may arrive as soon as fall of this year, beside the new Note 8, but considering the current development hurdles, it might take a little more time. The code-name that insiders at Samsung have kept for the device, is “Vega” according to the Wall Street Journal.
The device’s technical specifications and features have not yet been hashed out but considering that Samsung has made numerous home appliances, it means that the device will be compatible with the company’s smart TV’s and other Smart Home-enabled devices. Considering Samsung has the audio expertise of Harman, their new device will be something of a game-changer if they use this opportunity well and if they are able to sort out the issues with the software soon enough.
The Verge comments that Samsung, while still entering an already crowded market by competitors, will face immediate competition from the likes of the newer entrants such as Apple’s HomePod which is about to go on sale in December. Even Microsoft is about to release a few smart home devices that will be powered by Windows 10. Amazon Echo so far, has the most experience in the segment, having first been launched in 2014. Google Home was released just last year. The Bixby speaker is said to feature media casting, Apple’s AirPlay and Google Cast. The possibility of the existence of a built-in touchscreen and camera are also not ruled out.
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