Co-CEO of Samsung, B.K. Yoon, recently advocated for an open, industry-wide “Internet of things” push, which revealed that Samsung plans to build in connected device capabilities across its entire product line within the next five years. The South Korean electronics giant seems to be betting big on the initiative which looks to create a virtual web between electronic devices. Such a move would allow users to control and monitor everything from washing machines and dryers to refrigerators and home security systems. According to Yoon:

The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung wants an open development environment which plays no favorites instead of a closed platform which is limited to one operating system or brand. During his CES presentation, Yoon advocated against the “walled garden” model which is a reference often used to describe Apple’s iOS and Mac ecosystem. He continued by stating the following:

For those of you who didn’t know, Samsung has been aggressively moving towards fulfilling its Internet of Things (IoT) ambitions after purchasing smart home startup, SmartThings, last August for $200 million. The strategy as a whole makes sense as the company not only occupies space in the mobile computing technology but also dabbles in home appliances such as laundry machines and air conditioners.

Yoon estimates that 90% of the company’s products will be connected by 2017. He even went as far as stating the following:

We’ll have to wait and see what role Apple will play in the initiative. In the meantime, one thing we do know is that Apple is working on a connected device ecosystem of its own with iOS 8’s HomeKit framework.

Source: The Wall Street Journal