Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) is to launch the second generation of its ZenWatch and six smart home devices this quarter in a bid to expand the company’s reach in the Internet of Things (IoT) area, the company said yesterday.
“The global IoT market in still in its early stages, but Asustek sees great business potential in this area,” company spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) said by telephone.
Wu said the company had sold “a few hundred thousand” units of its first generation of ZenWatch since it was launched in December last year, while another production line, the VivoWatch, also shipped “a few hundred thousands” units since it hit the shelves in May.
ZenWatch targets business clients, while VivoWatch offer more health-monitoring functions, Asustek said.
Wu said the second-generation ZenWatch will have two versions of different display sizes, and the two models have been certified by the National Communications Commission (NCC).
After launching an IP camera and an event data recorder last quarter, Asus Cloud Corp (華碩雲端), Asustek’s subsidiary, also plans to introduce six smart home devices this quarter, a company executive said.
“The company plans to launch a series of IoT products to boost the number of registered users using Asus’ cloud-computing storage,” Asus Cloud chief executive officer Peter Wu (吳漢章) told the Taipei-Shanghai forum in Shanghai on Tuesday.
There are nearly 10,000 registered users of Asus’ Internet-connected surveillance products, he said, adding that by increasing the number of registered users, the company could gradually expand the ecosystem of its IoT products.
He said that apart from the six smart home devices, such as a smart door lock and smart temperature sensor, Asus Cloud plans to introduce IoT devices that focus on audio and video entertainment later this year.
Asus Cloud also tapped into remote heathcare services, Wu said, adding that the company secured a bid from the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the end of last quarter to offer remote healthcare services to 12 cities and counties in Taiwan.
Wu said the ministry allocated an annual budget of NT$10 million (US$306,109) to the firm, adding that it is jointly working with Taipei Show Chwan Hospital (秀傳醫院) and Taiwan Secom Co (中興保全) on the project.
Asustek shares yesterday dropped 0.55 percent to NT$273.5 in Taipei trading, outperforming the TAIEX, which lost 1.9 percent.
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