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The photo provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday, shows a kitchen with the new Bespoke French Door refrigerator. (Samsung Electronics Co.) |
Can Samsung Electronics Co. live up to the expectations and hype that the company helped create in the days leading up to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week?
Earlier this week, the South Korean tech giant unveiled a teaser video featuring alien employees working hard behind a frosted window on the next innovations.
Aliens have been often used by the company in its marketing strategy to create hype about its tech prowess being unparalleled and on another level.
As far back as in 2013, the company said on its website that it had formed "a strategic alliance with the aliens" to materialize innovative ideas into products at the Samsung Lab.
"The technology of modern IT gadgets is so advanced that many times it is hard to believe that we, human beings, have developed such things," it wrote in the post.
Of course, it said, "All this is just a joke," at the end of the post, adding it "has no intention of dishonoring or disrespecting any extraterrestrial life forms that may or may not exist. We are just kidding, so please if you exist, don't come at us about it."
At the technology industry trade show, which takes place from Jan. 5-8, Samsung said it will unveil a series of new appliances and prototypes that are meant to "create new and meaningful experiences" for users under the theme of "Together for Tomorrow."
Han Jong-hee, vice chairman and CEO of the company's Device eXperience (DX) division, is set to deliver a preshow keynote speech at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 4 (US time).
His speech will come as other big brands, such as Microsoft, GM, Google, to name a few, decided to cancel in-person participation over omicron fears and as the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the event's organizer, stepped up health precautions, including proof of vaccination, a mask mandate and on-site testing for the coronavirus, for the safety of tens of thousands of people from around the globe.
On the mobile front, the tech giant is expected to debut its long-delayed Galaxy S21 FE, among other things, touted by the company as "a tribute to Galaxy fans," the most affordable phone in Samsung's premium S20 line.
Ahead of its official launch, a buyer in South Africa got ahold of the unreleased phone and uploaded an unboxing video on Wednesday. The phone, with an expected starting price of US$699, is fitted with a 6.41-inch AMOLED screen and a Snapdragon 888 chipset and supports Fast Wireless Charging. It is said to come in four colors -- olive, black, white and purple.
Among the new products to be unveiled at the show is a full array of customizable Bespoke appliances, allowing users to personalize the home appliances' color, material and modules. New launches include Samsung's first-ever Bespoke French Door refrigerator, the Bespoke Jet cordless vacuum cleaner and the Bespoke Washer and Dryer.
"This expansion of the lineup empowers consumers to create living spaces that truly reflect their tastes and aesthetics, using Samsung's meaningful innovations and technology," said Lee Kang-hyup, executive vice president and head of sales and marketing of the company's digital appliances unit.
Not to be left out in the rising popularity of the virtual world of metaverse, Samsung joined hands with Asia's biggest metaverse platform Naver Z's ZEPETO to expand communication channels with Millennials and "zoomers," who are comfortable with using the digital space to create virtual identities.
On Jan. 5, the first day of CES, the company will unveil the new online platform, My House, in which users can decorate their virtual home with 18 of Samsung's existing and new appliances in a way that "reflects their unique tastes and preferences," the company said.
"Since home appliances tend to be big, it's difficult to actually try placing them in users' own spaces," Kwon Young-woong of the company's global marketing center said.
Through the platform, "Users will be able to have the special experience of gaining a deeper understanding of their preferences and customizing their spaces," he added.
The tech giant will also introduce 13 innovative projects during the global event -- four from its in-house venture C-Lab Inside program and nine from its startup acceleration program.
Piloto, one of the four C-Lad Inside projects, provides artificial intelligence that helps children develop proper smartphone usage habits, while bitsensing, among the nine startups on C-Lab Outside, provides imaging radar technology solutions for autonomous driving and smart cities.
Samsung has nurtured more than 400 Korean startups since it launched C-Lab Inside in 2012, and said it aimed to help accelerate 500 startups through its in-house and outside programs by next year. (Yonhap)
