MOST INNOVATIVE
COMPANIES 2015
41. Samsung
FOR
BRINGING INTERNET INTELLIGENCE TO MORE THINGS.
Samsung has had a strange five years. By embracing Google’s
Android operating system and building hardware that is equal to Apple's iPhone,
the Korean electronics giant deployed its signature fast-follower strategy and
outflanked Apple in the smartphone wars. But this success has proved to be
fleeting, as the company has struggled to differentiate its handsets amid
pressure from competitors like Xiaomi—not to mentioned continued innovation in
Cupertino.
Of course, Samsung is a lot more than smartphones—and, in an era
full of new Internet-connected devices on our bodies and in our homes, that may
matter more in the long run. While Apple fusses over the intricacies of luxury
watch design and Google crows about buying a fancy thermostat company, Samsung
has been cranking out next-generation wearables and building dozens of smart
appliances: refrigerators that text you when the door has been left open,
dishwashers that decide when to run a load based on spot energy prices, robot
vacuum cleaners that you can control with your smartwatch, your Galaxy Note, or
(gasp) your iPhone. "Imagine a world in which these appliances are
connected to each other," says David Eun, a Samsung executive vice
president. "What you’d have is one of the largest platforms for
distributing content and services and apps—even ads."
Eun, a former Googler who now serves as the head of Samsung’s
Global Innovation Center, orchestrated Samsung’s acquisition of SmartThings
last August for a reported $200 million. The Silicon Valley startup offers a
kit that makes it easy for consumers control Schlage door locks, GE lightbulbs,
Sonos sound systems, and, as a result of the acquisition, all of Samsung's
smart appliances. The pairing makes Samsung by far the biggest player in the
burgeoning Internet of Things ecosystem. "The vision," says
SmartThings founder Alex Hawkinson, "is that it's supereasy for an
everyday person to make their home a smart home."
Eun and Hawkinson see SmartThings as Android for the home—an
open platform that will be used by Samsung, as well as most major appliance
companies. The main difference: Unlike Android, Samsung will not be dependent
on a competitor for its software. "We believe that all boats will rise
with the Internet of Things tide," Eun says. "And we’ve got a lot of
boats in the water."
BY MAX CHAFKIN http://www.fastcompany.com/3039614/most-innovative-companies-2015/
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