Baidu's introduction to the strategic layout of smart hardware

According to the above introduction, it can be seen that data, platform, and ecology are undoubtedly the strategic layout of Baidu in this emerging field of smart hardware.

(1) Data

Spontaneous craving for data far exceeds its enthusiasm for smart hardware itself, whether it is the cooperation with TCL or OPPO. Therefore, it can be said that Baidu is trying to play a more upstream role than the terminal vendor, compared to the smart terminal vendor directly accessing the individual data of the user. The advantages of its data can be reflected from two aspects, namely the depth and breadth of data.

In terms of depth, similar to the smart bracelet hardware products, Baidu is not satisfied with the collection of individual user data, but is trying to integrate multiple data resources to form a data model that can be analyzed and predicted; in terms of breadth, Baidu hopes to converge Healthy terminal data in different fields such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and heart rate provide possibilities for excavation of big data, and also enable higher-level applications of portable wearable devices.

Baidu's extreme thirst for data precisely reflects the technological advantages of its big data processing. On the basis of firmly controlling this key link, Baidu will share the analyzed and interpreted data with developers and manufacturers of intelligent hardware products and provide them with data and technical support services to build a unique structure. The smart technology ecosystem has always occupied a dominant position in this ecosystem.

(2) Platform

In the intelligent technology ecosystem constructed with big data as its core strength, Baidu will naturally become an intelligent hardware platform with its unified data interfaces and technical standards. For example, the use of different blood pressure meter companies' products and their analysis and measurement of original access data on the same mobile phone app will certainly become the ideal trend for the development of smart hardware.

Compared with hand-held health smart hardware such as wristbands and watches, the demand for platform-based smart hardware is even more urgent. Due to its own closedness and management dilemma at the development node, although many home appliance giants have tried to build smart home platforms around their products, the results often have little success. Therefore, the Internet industry with its extremely open characteristics seems to be responsible for solving this dilemma.

Baidu Inside has successfully solved this shortcoming of traditional e-commerce by sharing open technology interfaces with home appliance giants. That is to say, the e-businesses should be equally connected to Baidu's technology, data, and other interfaces, so as to save the company's own R&D investment and accelerate the product innovation and development of smart hardware through Baidu's platform services.

(3) Ecology

After having a big data foundation and an open platform, Baidu eventually tried to build an intelligent hardware ecosystem centered on its data and technology. Baidu’s strategic layout in the smart home ecosystem basically represents the strategic direction of development of smart companies in this emerging industry segment, which currently has data and technology as their core strengths.

At this point, it can be seen that Baidu's seemingly disorganized behavior in the smart hardware market lies behind its desire for data and platforms in the upper reaches of smart hardware products. Compared to other intelligent hardware companies with superior innovation capabilities and product control capabilities, Baidu’s main focus has never been a screaming hardware product, but how to make the product play a more important role in the hands of users, provide Better service. Only by understanding this point can we truly understand the strategic layout of Baidu in the smart home ecosystem, and also be able to understand Baidu's confidence in the smart hardware market.

We know that things are universally connected, and the development of any thing will affect the development of other related things. Therefore, intelligent hardware as a very important part of the smart home ecosystem, its development and transformation is not just a matter of the field itself, but a kind of integrated intelligent home ecosystem of hardware + cloud service + business model. change. Although on the surface it appears that smart hardware is just like a PC or mobile phone in the form of a product, in fact, its technical complexity has far surpassed the latter, and it can be said that it is a kind of hardware and software and it is highly integrated. Baidu's layout in the smart home ecosystem is based on its core "soft power" such as big data, storage capacity, and machine learning accumulated over the years, and it has taken full advantage of its powerful cloud processing and computing capabilities. Specifically, after users who purchase smart hardware devices transmit personal data to the cloud, Baidu dulife can collect multi-dimensional corpse data clusters through these devices to continuously improve its own cloud storage database. At the same time, through accurate technical support, Baidu can also conduct mining and professional interpretation of big data in the database, thus providing users with personalized health training programs. Further, Baidu can even use its unique cloud data and services to accurately guide its online promotion and sales activities. All of these contents have enabled Baidu to remain in an advantageous and proactive position in building a smart home ecosystem.