Asustek Computer Inc’s (華碩) priority this year is to improve user experience with its voice-controlled home robot, Zenbo, which is to play a key role in the firm’s long-term plan to build a cloud-computing ecosystem, chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) said yesterday.
“Zenbo is a revolutionary product for Asustek. It enters consumers’ homes and connects all of Asustek’s products, making it the center of smart home solutions,” Shih told reporters on the sidelines of Asustek’s annual party at the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei.
A perfect user experience is the key for an avant-garde consumer technological product to be successful, Shih said, adding that many cutting-edge technologies have failed to survive because their applications could not meet consumers’ demands.
Photo: CNA
Asustek will work throughout the year to improve Zenbo’s responses to humans, such as responses to lighting changes and voice recognition at home, Shih said.
However, the company said it plans to ship the first batch of 168 Zenbo units to consumers in Taiwan before the Lunar New Year holidays begin next week.
Citing US president-elect Donald Trump’s plan to bring manufacturing back to the US, Shih said he thinks the outlook for the global economy this year could be as unpredictable as last year.
The company plans to launch new ZenBook and ZenFone series featuring innovative functions to sustain growth momentum, Shih said.
The firm’s accumulative revenue last year reached NT$466.99 billion (US$14.8 billion), down 1.13 percent from 2015’s NT$472.33 billion, Asustek data showed.
The company is to hold an investors conference to release last quarter’s earnings results after the Lunar New Year holidays.
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