孟洁冰

With the development of the “internet of things，” China has seen a rising demand for smart products across all sectors. Products that carry a label “smart，” such as speakers， watches， or even vehicles， are ultimately expected to give you more control， efficiency， and a level of personalization that addresses your individual needs.

The “smart” label has found a place in the home appliance market too， leading to a growing assortment of everything from smart refrigerators， ACs， TVs and other products.

According to a report by Daxue Consulting， Chinas largest home appliances manufacturers， such as Midea， Haier， Galanz， and Hisense， begun investing in the development of smart home products. They are， however， up against tough competition from companies like Xiaomi， which started from making smartphones but has ventured into a suite of smart home appliances. A digital technology company at its core， Xiaomi also has the advantage of higher brand appeal among younger consumers.

Because of their higher price， more complicated use， and a relative newness on the market， smart home products attract only a specific group of buyers. Household penetration for smart products is considered to be at 7.7% in China this year， and this includes all smart home setups， such as speakers， security and lighting systems.

The early adopters of these products tend to have higher disposable income and willing to spend extra on novelty， convenience and efficiency. The market is however expected to grow fast as smart products become cheaper and more mainstream. By 2023， market penetration in China is projected to be at 24.8%， according to the data compiled by Statista.

Some traditional manufacturers have adopted a dual strategy where they continue to address the mass market of consumers while developing experimental lines of smart products that target early adopters.

Hisense， one of Chinas largest home appliance manufacturers and a state-owned enterprise is one example.

The company has multiple brands and sells a variety of products， covering refrigerators， air conditioners， washing machines， smartphones， and televisions. It has emphasized that it adheres to a development strategy of a “technology-based enterprise” with “smart” and “innovation” as its “core values，” however its latest product launches have focused on improving traditional features on mass products， such as a fast freeze mode for fridges， LED lighting， and others.

However， Hisense has veered into smart devices too. Two years ago， it launched a portable HiSmart AC， a device controllable via a smartphone app that can adjust the temperature according to the outside environment or your daily routines.

The state-owned enterprise has done most of its technological development in the TV segment. In August this year， the company launched a “social TV” with an interactive system giving its users features such as group video chat， 3D Avatar Karaoke connecting to friends online， and AI fitness.

Hisense seems to operate well in both the traditional and “smart” market segments， but the competition is bound to intensify， as other well-established home appliance brands compete for the attention of Chinese consumers.

A few brands have been making their way into smart products via the development of smart home solutions.

Breaking smart

Chinese home appliances maker Midea is a leader in the development of connected appliances and smart home solutions. It has invested more than RMB 20 billion in the R&D in the last five years and set up 20 research centers globally. In 2016， its subsidiary Midea Smart Technology started operating separately， developing smart home solutions under the M-Smart label.

The M-Smart system has been successfully showcased at various expos， however， some of its products remain conceptual at this point. That said， some of its traditional products with intelligent features， such as smart， voice-controlled ACs or smart refrigerators with an interactive screen， have been successfully launched.

The Hong Kong-listed company this month announced the development of an AI system that would connect all smart products within a household to one core platform.

Another example of successful smart home solutions come from a Qingdao-based company Haier. In 2016， the company introduced the Haier U+ platform， helping household owners to monitor and control real-time information about their home appliances via an app. This way， a consumer can remotely adjust the temperature of the refrigerator or find a recipe based on the available ingredients.

Last year， the company showcased a line of its all-scenario household smart appliances， covering kitchen， bedroom， bathroom and living room. Washing machines that can recognize the texture of your clothes， a 3D fitting mirror， or a refrigerator with a smart screen that can identify ingredients are just a few examples of how the company is adapting to the digital era.

According to the Daxue Consulting report mentioned earlier， the market size of smart home systems is increasing at an annual rate of 20% and smart home appliances are its largest segment.

Competition from internet companies

Chinese tech giants， such as Alibaba and Baidu， arent mass producing AC units. But they are entering the smart devices segment mostly via smart speakers， which they dominate. In 2019， the market for smart speakers has more than doubled， up from RMB 330 million to RMB 680 million in comparison with last year， according to Daxue Consulting.

Baidus smart speaker brand Xiaodu， launched last year， recorded a growth of 3700% to capture 17.3 percent of the global market with 4.5 million shipments.

Competition in smart devices also comes from Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi， which is out to prove that it is more than just a smartphone maker. Known for its affordable products， it competes with the home appliances brands that have been on the market for decades. It first entered the market with air purifiers and has launched a number of other products since. Among the most popular ones are lamps， air conditioners， washing machines， and vacuum cleaners. Last year Xiaomi introduced the Yunmi Smart Refrigerator that can keep food at an ideal temperature. One of its latest smart products also includes an interactive childrens toothbrush developed under the companys home appliance startup Soocas.

Convergence

With increasing competition and development of AI-based home solutions， some big internet companies and traditional home appliances makers seek ways how to collaborate and cut a larger share of the market together.

Haier is one of the traditional companies that have made great efforts to cooperate with internet giants. Last year it announced two strategic cooperations with Baidu and Sogou. Baidus AI system and Haiers U+ platform will work together on big data and IoT towards technological solutions for smart homes. Sogou will offer support via its voice technology to smoothen interaction between home appliances and users.

Cooperation between Midea and Xiaomi dates back to 2014 when the latter invested US$200 million （RMB 1.26 billion） in Midea， followed by the launch of the i-Youth Smart AC system.

It is likely to see more of such win-win cooperation as both parties get to share their unique know-how.

With the growing Chinese middle class， Chinas market for smart home devices will keep expanding. The domestic market is highly competitive and companies need to adjust to moving towards this trend. However， as smart technologies are still relatively new and not in demand by everyone， brands also need to remember consumers of traditional products.

随着“物联网”的发展，中国各行各业对智能产品的需求都在增长。带有“智能”标签的产品，比如音箱、手表甚或汽车，最终有望更易操控、效率更高，也具有一定个性化，可满足个人需求。

“智能”标签也在家电市场上占有一席之地，导致智能冰箱、空调、电视和其他产品的种类越来越多。

博圣轩咨询公司的报告称，中国最大的家电制造商，比如美的、海尔、格兰仕和海信等，开始投资智能家居产品的开发。然而，他们面临着来自小米等企业的激烈竞争。小米从生产智能手机起家，已经涉足一系列智能家电的生产。作为一家以数字技术为核心的公司，小米在年轻消费者中还具有较高的品牌吸引力。

由于价格较高、用途较复杂、在市场上相对较新，智能家居产品只吸引特定的消费群体。2019年，中国智能产品的家庭普及率被认为仅有7.7%，这包括所有智能家居设备，比如音箱、安保和照明系统。

这些产品的早期使用者往往有较高的可支配收入，愿意多花钱购买新颖、便利和高效的产品。然而，随着智能产品变得更便宜、更主流，这个市场有望快速增长。斯塔蒂斯塔调查公司的数据显示，到2023年，中国智能产品的市场渗透率预计将达24.8%。

一些传统制造商采取了双重战略，在为早期使用者开发实验性智能产品系列的同时，他们也继续满足大众市场消费者的需求。

作为中国的一大家电制造商，国有企业海信就是个例子。

海信拥有多个品牌，销售冰箱、空调、洗衣机、智能手机和电视等各种产品。该公司强调，坚持以“智能”和“创新”为“核心价值”的“科技型企业”发展战略，不过其最新推出的产品也侧重于改善大众产品的传统功能，比如冰箱速冻模式、LED照明等。

不过，海信也开始涉足智能家电领域。两年前，该公司推出了便携式HiSmart智能空调。这款家电可以通过智能手机应用程序进行操控，能够根据外部环境或个人日程调节温度。

这家国有企业的智能技术开发大部分集中在电视领域。2019年8月，该公司推出了一款带有互动系统的“社交电视”，为用户提供群组视频聊天、好友在线连麦的3D Avatar K歌和人工智能健身等功能。

海信似乎在传统市场和“智能”市场都表现良好，但随着其他老牌家电争奪中国消费者的注意力，这种竞争势必会愈演愈烈。

一些品牌已经通过开发智能家居解决方案进入了智能产品领域。

突破智能

中国家电制造商美的是开发联网家电和智能家居解决方案的领军企业。过去5年，该集团在研发领域投入超过200亿元人民币，在全球设立了20个研究中心。2016年，其子公司美的智慧家居科技有限公司开始独立运营，开发M-Smart品牌的智能家居解决方案。

M-Smart系统已在各种博览会上成功亮相，然而部分产品目前仍停留在概念阶段。即便如此，该公司已经成功推出了几款具有智能功能的传统产品，比如智能声控空调或带有交互显示屏的智能冰箱。

2019年8月，这家香港上市公司宣布开发一个人工智能系统，将把全家所有智能产品连接到一个核心平台。

总部位于青岛的海尔公司是另一个成功开发智能家居解决方案的例子。2016年，该公司推出了海尔U+平台，通过应用软件帮助户主监测和控制家用电器的实时信息。这样消费者可以远程调节冰箱温度，或者根据可用食材找到菜谱。

2018年，该公司展示了一系列全场景家用智能电器，涵盖厨房、卧室、浴室和客厅。无论是可识别衣物材质的洗衣机、3D试衣镜，还是可识别食材的智能屏幕冰箱，这些产品只是该公司适应数字时代的几个例子。

前面提到的博圣轩咨询公司报告称，智能家居系统的市场规模正以每年20%的速度增长，而智能家电是其中最大的细分市场。

互联网公司的竞争

阿里巴巴和百度等中国科技巨头并没有批量生产空调，但它们主要通过智能音箱进入智能设备市场，并在这个细分市场占据主导地位。博圣轩咨询公司的数据显示，2019年，智能音箱市场规模比2018年扩大了一倍以上，从3.3亿元人民币增长到6.8亿元人民币。

数据显示，百度2018年推出的智能音箱“小度”销量增长了3700%，占全球市场份额的17.3%，出货量为450万台。

中国电子产品制造商小米也加入了智能设备领域的竞争，小米要证明自己不仅仅是一家智能手机制造商。该公司以物美价廉的产品而闻名，与市场上有数十年历史的家电品牌展开了竞争。小米首先凭借空气净化器进入市场，此后推出了一系列其他产品，其中最受欢迎的是台灯、空调、洗衣机和吸尘器。2018年，小米推出了云米智能冰箱，可将食物保存在理想的温度。小米最新发布的智能产品还包括儿童互动牙刷，由旗下家电初创企业舒可士开发。

融合

随着竞争加剧和人工智能家居解决方案的发展，一些大型互联网公司和传统家电制造商都在寻找合作方式，共同分享更大的市场份额。

海尔是与互联网巨头大力合作的传统企业之一。2018年，海尔宣布了与百度和搜狗的两项战略合作。百度的人工智能系统和海尔的U+平台将在大数据和物联网方面展开合作，为智能家居提供技术解决方案。搜狗将通过其语音技术提供支持，实现家电和用户之间的顺畅交流。

美的与小米的合作可追溯到2014年，当时小米向美的投资2亿美元（约合12.6亿元人民币），随后推出了i青春智能空调系统。

随着双方分享各自独特的专业技术，我们可能会看到更多这样的合作共赢。

随着中国中产阶级的日渐壮大，中国智能家居设备市场将继续扩大规模。国内市场竞争激烈，企业需要加以调整以适应这一趋势。然而，由于智能技术还相对较新，并非人人所需，品牌也不要忘记传统产品的消费者。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）