Samsung is set to hold a health-focused event in San Francisco on May 28. With Apple’s own WWDC taking place the week after, speculation suggested that Samsung would use its event to distract attention away from Apple’s own announcements. One possibility was that Samsung would unveil new health-related hardware. But Samsung has now confirmed that no new products will be announced. “It is not a product announcement,” Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center VP Stefan Heuser told Re/code last week.
The event is hosted by the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center (SSIC). The SSIC is part of Samsung’s semiconductor group which focuses on components rather than finished products such as smartphones, tablets and TVs. The SSIC is fairly new, being about a year-old, and focuses on partnering and investing in companies working on “core, underlying technologies.” It has a pretty broad focus that includes health care as well as the Internet of Things, human-computer interfaces and cloud/data storage.
One thing the event may do is give us a sense of the direction in which Samsung is moving in the health and fitness market. Devices such as Samsung Gear Fit and apps such as S Health on its Galaxy S5 smartphone are likely but the first salvo is what is shaping up to be a key market in coming years.
Source : Re/code