Samsung is one of those brands that has a lot on its plate at one time. And while there’s a ton of excitement building up for its next foldable phones, set to be announced on July 9, we’re now getting news that another one of the brand’s products, its adorable AI home robot Ballie won’t be making its summer debut as originally announced.
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Samsung’s adorable AI home robot packing Google’s smarts launches this summer
In the US and South Korea
The Korea Times reports that the robot will now be delayed, with Samsung exercising quite a bit of caution for this new product, as it turns its attention to refining the experience, while also navigating the tough terrain of nailing down a price (via SammyGuru).
Do consumers want or even need this?
Sure, AI has been a hot topic the past couple of years, and we’ve seen some great things arise from the technology, but most of this has been in the form of software or even a service. While there have been a handful of dedicated products, like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1, these never saw great success.
And while it’s still early days, and Samsung has a better grasp on consumer products, it’s unclear just how helpful a product like Ballie can be. In addition, something like this isn’t going to come cheap, with The Korea Times projecting that Ballie could come in priced north of $2,000.
It’s not often that something this expensive launches in the consumer tech space, but when they do, people aren’t lining up to buy them. Naturally, this is probably why Samsung is taking its sweet time in order to get this thing right. The project has been around for several years now, and we’ve seen it evolve in front of our eyes, so waiting a little longer isn’t going to be a huge problem.
While its looks might have changed since its inception, its underlying characteristics have not, helping users control components of their smart home, and using AI to understand and communicate. Of course, the latest edition also has a built-in projector that will help with that communication, but it can also be used to display important information or become a dedicated display as well.
Although the demand for Ballie won’t be huge when it first launches, this is a product that’s most likely going to evolve over the years, becoming something much bigger when the right technology comes around to really take it to a new level. For now, we’ll have to patiently wait and see. Who knows, we may even see it at the next Galaxy Unpacked event.
