vivo Malaysia shares its outlook for 2021 and paves the way for IoT, 5G and 6G technology
2020 has been a whirlwind year for the advancement of technology. Aside from the new gadget launches, brand collaborations and big strides into the e-commerce sector, the one-too-many virtual meetings and food deliveries we had in 2020 signalled how technology has truly integrated itself into our everyday lives. Along with ‘unprecedented’ as the People’s Choice 2020 Word of the Year by Dictionary.com, it would be safe to say that ‘digital transformation’ is not far behind.
One of the by-products of the pandemic is accelerated digital and technological adoption, as companies worldwide shift into full throttle nearly overnight to accommodate remote working and integrated workflow systems. vivo, a global leading smartphone manufacturer, recognises that staying digitally and socially connected while staying physically apart was the main priority in 2020 and will likely continue to be the priority as we head into 2021.
The smartphone brand has been hard at work behind-the-scenes to offer innovative and user-centric products and, in 2021, will bring even more exciting developments to elevate the lives of consumers. Here are a few developments in the pipeline for 2021 to look forward to.
- Consumers to get a taste of the Internet of Things (IoT) with wearables
The Internet of Things (IoT), in its simplest sense, is the idea of machines talking to machines to exchange information. Imagine your alarm clock waking you up a few hours before an appointment it sees on your calendar, and tells the coffee machine to have a hot cuppa ready by the time you have showered, and notifies the car to start and choose the fastest route to your destination – and all of this can be triggered by adding an appointment into one smart device. In a broader sense, IoT allows for a more efficient and automated way of doing things and plays a big role in breaking into the fourth industrial revolution.
Bringing this concept and efficiency directly to consumers, vivo is looking to conquer the smart home market and give users a way to control devices in their homes through their smartphones and integrated voice commands, starting with the recent launch of the vivo WATCH in China. The vivo WATCH features intelligent exercise and health recognition and analysis, near-field communication (NFC) for subway and bus access in 300 cities across China, and performs functions such as setting alarms, controlling music and execute commands through vivo’s Jovi voice assistant.
In conjunction with the launch of the X60 series in December 2020, vivo introduced the latest strap colour to its vivo WATCH for Spring 2021 – Pine Needle, a colour inspired by the calm strength of the pine forest against the winter season. The latest version of the vivo WATCH comes with new interface optimisations, feature updates and dials that can be customised from the X60 series smartphones.
- Plans for 5G to gain momentum in Southeast Asia
Whilst many cities around the Southeast Asia region are still operating on a 4G network, 2020’s accelerated digital adoption shows a promising demand for 5G network, with governments and private sectors alike laying down plans to ensure that they are ready to reap in all the benefits the technology will bring in coming years.
One notable progress lies in 5G smartphone manufacturers such as vivo, who is already at the forefront to enable the early adoption of 5G. vivo’s forward-looking strategy and consistent investment have allowed the company to make remarkable progress in the research and development of 5G standards and core technologies. As a fervent advocate and leader of the new technology, vivo has developed a family of 19 phones with 5G support covering all price points. In 2021, vivo will continue to introduce new smartphones to meet the various needs of consumers and accelerate mainstream use of 5G in Southeast Asia.
- 6G is in the making
The past decades have shown how fast technology has evolved within a short period and it comes to no surprise that 6G is already in the talks, especially as computing speeds enter the quantum realm.
Just as 5G is starting large-scale commercialisation around the world, industry leaders like vivo established a research team for 6G and explored the possible scenarios for digital life in 2030. The vivo Communications Research Institute has analysed the projected development trends for 11 aspects closely related to people’s lives in ten years and beyond and offered a preliminary view of the vision for 6G and its possibilities. If 5G is all about maximising digital connections, the 6G vision is a seamless fusion of the physical and digital worlds. As a smartphone brand, vivo aspires to be the bridge between the two worlds.
2021 will see greater technological adoption from consumers and innovation from the industry, and the future of smartphones will not just be in people’s pockets, but also in their homes and the world around them. And with vivo paving the way in IoT, 5G and 6G, users will be able to stay on top of the latest advancements and reap in the benefits the future will bring.
vivo has plans to offer more products in their X series, V series and Y series in 2021. The brand teases that the new vivo X60 series – a product of vivo’s strategic global imaging partnership with ZEISS – will be coming to local markets soon.
