Samsung buys smart home startup SmartThings for $200M, expands 'internet of things' offerings
Apple rival Samsung on Thursday confirmed the purchase of SmartThings, extending the Korean company's reach into the world of connected, app-controllable devices like lights, motion sensors, switches and locks.
According to Re/code sources, Samsung paid around $200 million for SmartThings and will keep the company independent, leaving CEO and founder Alex Hawkinson in charge of operations. The purchase was subsequently announced by SmartThings through its official blog.
"We believe that there is an enormous opportunity to leverage Samsung's global scale to help us realize our long-term vision," Hawkinson writes. "While we will remain operationally independent, joining forces with Samsung will enable us to support all of the leading smartphone vendors, devices, and applications; expand our base of developers and enhance the tools and programs that they rely on; and help many more people around the world easily control and monitor their homes using SmartThings."
As part of the buy, the home automation firm will move to the Samsung Open Innovation Center in Palo Alto, Calif., an accelerator headed by former President of AOL Media and Studios David Eun. The OIC chief told Re/code that Samsung intends to keep SmartThings as an open platform, allowing developers and hardware makers to build onto it without being restricted to one operating system. For example, SmartThings itself has apps for both Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
"Samsung has been committed to smart homes and connected devices and has tried to paint this vision for a while. But since consumers have lots of different devices, the trend is really toward open and our approach is to be open and protocol agnostic," Eun said.
The Korean company fields its own brand of connected home appliances powered by the first-party Tizen operating system, but the devices have yet to see wide adoption. In February, Samsung introduced Tizen to wearables market with the Gear 2 smartwatch.
Apple will debut a first foray into the home automation market with the launch of HomeKit, a framework to securely connect with and control smart home devices. The feature is rolled into iOS 8, which will debut this fall alongside a next-generation iPhone.
According to Re/code sources, Samsung paid around $200 million for SmartThings and will keep the company independent, leaving CEO and founder Alex Hawkinson in charge of operations. The purchase was subsequently announced by SmartThings through its official blog.
"We believe that there is an enormous opportunity to leverage Samsung's global scale to help us realize our long-term vision," Hawkinson writes. "While we will remain operationally independent, joining forces with Samsung will enable us to support all of the leading smartphone vendors, devices, and applications; expand our base of developers and enhance the tools and programs that they rely on; and help many more people around the world easily control and monitor their homes using SmartThings."
As part of the buy, the home automation firm will move to the Samsung Open Innovation Center in Palo Alto, Calif., an accelerator headed by former President of AOL Media and Studios David Eun. The OIC chief told Re/code that Samsung intends to keep SmartThings as an open platform, allowing developers and hardware makers to build onto it without being restricted to one operating system. For example, SmartThings itself has apps for both Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
"Samsung has been committed to smart homes and connected devices and has tried to paint this vision for a while. But since consumers have lots of different devices, the trend is really toward open and our approach is to be open and protocol agnostic," Eun said.
The Korean company fields its own brand of connected home appliances powered by the first-party Tizen operating system, but the devices have yet to see wide adoption. In February, Samsung introduced Tizen to wearables market with the Gear 2 smartwatch.
Apple will debut a first foray into the home automation market with the launch of HomeKit, a framework to securely connect with and control smart home devices. The feature is rolled into iOS 8, which will debut this fall alongside a next-generation iPhone.
Comments
*snort*
They spent how much on smart TVs that Apple wasn’t going to do and now how much on this?
No thanks.
HA
They are just doing this to copy Apple because Apple bought NEST first and then came out with HomeKit and all of the stuff.
All they do is copy Apple.
Like when they came out with BIG PHONES after Apple Did. And 7" tablets after Apple did. And those crappy 'I'm a Sam Sung, No, I'm a PC" ads that Apple Did.
They need to do their own things.
HA
They are just doing this to copy Apple because Apple bought NEST first and then came out with HomeKit and all of the stuff.
All they do is copy Apple.
Like when they came out with BIG PHONES after Apple Did. And 7" tablets after Apple did. And those crappy 'I'm a Sam Sung, No, I'm a PC" ads that Apple Did.
They need to do their own things.
Um... Apple didn't buy Nest. Google did. The founder of Nest, Tony Fadel used to work at Apple though. But Samsung does suck.
This would be great trolling if you understood anything whatsoever you were trying to troll about.
Music is so last decade. Apple needs to get with the times. The fact they had to spend $3B to get a Spotify competitor up and running is pretty sad.
Music is so last decade. Apple needs to get with the times. The fact they had to spend $3B to get a Spotify competitor up and running is pretty sad.
They got much more then a Spotify competitor. They got a premium priced, fashion forward, established headphone brand that aligns perfectly with Apple in every way imaginable and they also got Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre as executives.
I admired they're early innovation (agreements with GE and others seemed panicky). Was tempted to purchase a kit last year but held off after Nest. At 200 million they must be starved of cash flow or innovation.
HomeKit + Phillips + Others + World = Bingo Jingo. And 200 million could buy one hell of nice ad campaign.
everything this decade is a copy of Apple(have you seen the fire phone or galaxy line?). If I create a 5" iPad knockoff does that magically make me original? NO.
And $4 is a lot cheaper than $1Trillion Derp!
Like OMGOSH! Totally!! who listens to music nowadays!! lol!
What's Spotify? is it a music thingy? who does that nowadays!!
Apple should have bought that one headphone company that sells over $1B a year and gets millions worth of free endorsements and advertising!! The ones
all celebrities and athletes promote(is Lebron a hottie or what!?)
The same company that u see almost every android user wearing... ummm what's that company called again? I think it's called Nest or Motorolla... not sure...
'Internet of Toaster-Fridges' is more likely.
So. It's come to this.
They got much more then a Spotify competitor. They got a premium priced, fashion forward, established headphone brand that aligns perfectly with Apple in every way imaginable and they also got Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre as executives.
Any follower of the great Horace can conclude that much growth is in Accessories, will you walk with me, Grasshopper.
Either way I'm screwed...
If I had to choose between Home Automation products ONLY by Google or Samsung, I'm not sure what I'd do. The Google products, like Nest would work well but report everything I did to the evil overlords. Samsung wouldn't be all that interested in my going ons, but probably wouldn't work worth its cost.
Either way I'm screwed...
The alternatives are currently not that bad, and will be getting better because of purchases like these. Honeywells Lyric thermostat for example has gotten good reviews on the thermostat front when compared to the Nest thermostate. It took a competitor some time to step up, but that they did. Hopefully they do a smoke detector and other home monitoring/automation products. They've indicated that there'll be more to Lyric - heres to hoping that they deliver. It's highly unlikely that Google will be buying honeywell.
I was planning on trying out Smartthings, but figured I'd give it a little time and see what kind of consolidation would be taking place and I'm glad I did.