[TechCrunch Shanghai] Baidu’s Strategy on Wearables: Building A Cloud Platform for Third-party Makers
Although there have been two devices on the website for wearables Baidu released at the end of last month, neither was designed or made by Baidu. Codoon Wristband was previously thought developed by Baidu. As one of the first wearable device makers in China, Codoon claims its mobile app has had over 10 million installs. Codoon use Baidu’s Cloud platform to store data and for future data analysis. The two sides also plan to come up with personalized services based on user data. The other gadget the Baidu website features is inWatch, an Android-powered smartwatch. The watch has included some custom apps such as Weibo and WeChat. Third parties are allowed to develop apps for its in-built app store. More products that will get on the platform include MUMU, a smart blood pressure meter.
Baidu’s strategy on wearable smart devices is to connect devices and its Cloud, said Hou Zhenyu, chief architect of Baidu Cloud, at our TechCrunch Shanghai. To put it in another way, Baidu wants to have as many makers as partners as possible so that they’d adopt its cloud infrastructure and their users would upload their data, related to health or exercises, onto the platform. Thus Baidu will have an App Store-like platform that all the users and developers will be on it.
Baidu has established a lab studying how to build such a platform for wearables. The lab has filed over ten patents. The company will open up the technologies to hardware manufacturers for them to build smart devices. Apart from technologies and platform, Baidu also promised to offer online marketing resources — the most powerful is Baidu search marketing.
When it comes to the business model for the platform, Baidu said it would be in the Internet fashion that be based on search, cloud and data.
To test the water of making hardware, Baidu itself also came up with a pair of WiFi routers and a Chromecast-like gadget.
According to a report released by Baidu earlier, 49.3% and 46.6% of the Chinese users, prices aside, would like to purchase smart bracelets and smartwatches, respectively. 19.5% and 29.1%, respectively, said they would definitely purchase one. The report tells 48.1% of the users hope wearable devices can help them to keep fit and 37% to overcome laziness and implement sports plans. The report adds that users are interested in features such as body-sensing interactions and cross-platform cloud data. The smartwatch brands available in China include Smart watches we have reported include Geak Watch, Qihoo’s 360 Child Guard, T-Watch, inWatch, CWatch, etc.
Source: Baidu