Meizu is getting out of the smartphone race and placing all bets on artificial intelligence. In an unexpected announcement, Meizu revealed it will halt development of new phones and redirect resources to “tomorrow’s AI devices.”
Meizu, thinks there’s not much new left to do with smartphones. Their Chairman, Shen, has seen that people are taking longer, like 4 years, to replace their phones because newer models aren’t that different from the old ones. Meizu believes that smartphones have almost reached a point where they can’t get much better, and making phones with just better specs is like a competition that doesn’t really help much in the long run.
The company decided not to focus on making small improvements to its gadgets. Instead, it’s moving away from an area where lots of other companies sell similar things. In the past, Meizu has stopped developing some of its upcoming products like the Meizu 21 Pro, Meizu 22, and Meizu 23 to try new things.
The company has spent two years getting its team ready and planning for the future, which shows that they are thinking and preparing ahead.
Before, the company also stopped making its popular MP3 players even though they were selling well to start making smartphones because they were becoming more popular. Also, Meizu is spending money on new technology, like the MYVU smart glasses, because they want to be part of the future.
Meizu is an established company that has seen many changes in the tech industry. Instead of staying in a market that isn’t growing much because everyone is just copying each other, Meizu is making a brave move. They’re diving into the brand-new world of artificial intelligence (AI) which has lots of opportunities.
They’re planning to introduce their own AI software in 2024 and will start selling new devices later this year. Their decision to keep updating their phones is a smart way to keep their customers’ trust during this big change.
If Meizu has made the right guess about the future of the market and can deliver on their AI plans, they could get ahead of the competition. It’s uncertain if this strategy is a brilliant one or if it’s a mistake that underestimates the value of smartphones.
For the moment, Meizu is putting everything into AI, a decision that could bring great success if things go as they expect. Their past experience and preparations might just help them succeed.
