LG announced the ThinQ UP series of smart home appliances on December 12 last year, and announced the launch of the ThinQ UP 28 series of products during IFA 8 in late August this year. During this visit to its headquarters in South Korea, LG provided a more detailed explanation of the design differences between the ThinQ series of home appliances and ThinQ UP 2023, and also shared its ideas for future smart home appliance connection applications.
The "ThinQ" brand, first proposed in 2011, and the "ThinQ" brand initially used for mobile phone products
The ThinQ brand was first presented in all-caps form as "THINQ" and was launched during the CES event in 2011. It was originally used for smart refrigerators equipped with various refrigeration and food management functions, and the different functions could be controlled through the LCD screen on the outer door.
The subsequent ThinQ brandIt was announced at the 2017 CES event and has been used on LG's smart products. For example, the flagship phones LG G6 and LG V30 launched that year displayed the word ThinQ when they were turned on. The LG V30S ThinQ, LG V35 ThinQ and LG G7 ThinQ launched the following year began to add ThinQ to their product names. Smart home connected appliances, including TVs, also began to use the ThinQ brand, and related functions and adjustments can be performed through the ThinQ app.
The evolution of the ThinQ brand
As for ThinQ, which means "Think You" in Chinese, it's a homophone for "Think You." LG also operates a cloud-based service system called Deep ThinQ behind the brand. This system continuously learns user habits through data-driven methods, allowing smart home appliances to better suit user habits. Furthermore, LG's TVs are integrated with Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa digital assistant services, allowing for integration with even more smart connected services.
However, compared with the ThinQ brand proposed earlier, LG launched theThinQ UPIt further emphasizes increasing the upgradeability of smart home appliances, which means that the functions of smart home appliances can be increased through subsequent software, and users can download and use additional software according to their personal needs.
For example, a new Laundry Saver Mode feature has been added to clothes dryers. This allows the dryer drum to continue rotating after drying until the user opens the door, keeping the clothes inside tumbled. This prevents clothes from piling up and causing wrinkles or odors when the dryer stops. Another update for connected smart refrigerators includes an adjustable interior lighting option to reduce glare when the refrigerator is opened at night.
Compared with the earlier ThinQ series, the ThinQ UP series adds more personalized options and can also continue to add additional application functions through software. Although the ThinQ series can also be upgraded through software, the personalized settings are relatively limited, just like the difference between Gogoro's early models and later models.Models using the SSmartcore intelligent driving electronic control coreThe former can also add functions through software upgrades, but the latter has richer personalized settings and customizable functions, and can even download various software-defined functions, such as TCS traction control system and cruise control mode.
ThinQ UP 2.0 focuses more on personalized user experience
The launch in late August this yearThinQ UP 2.0 design appliances, further enhances the personalized user experience. For example, the new washing machines and dryers are equipped with LG's self-developed control chip DQ-C, a newly designed operating system, and more memory capacity, allowing the washing machine or dryer to download and use more optional functions, and even provide feedback on the ThinQ App, allowing users to participate in proposing new function ideas to make home appliance functions more in line with users' actual needs.
During the early testing phase, LG users suggested features such as being able to fine-tune the temperature according to the food stored in the refrigerator, changing the color of the lights inside the InstaView refrigerator, and even leaving messages to other family members through the screen.
The ThinQ UP series is not yet ready to be introduced to the Taiwanese market
The ThinQ UP series of appliances launched in South Korea in January 2022 and in the US in April of this year. The ThinQ UP 1 series launched in South Korea in July of this year. Like the original ThinQ series, both the ThinQ UP and ThinQ UP 4 series appliances are configured and operated through the ThinQ app.
Since the ThinQ UP or ThinQ UP 2.0 series of home appliances involve the statistics and analysis of personal usage data, they require the coordination of local regulations and the improvement of local data center infrastructure. Therefore, there are currently no plans to introduce them to the Taiwanese market.
Taking local regulations into account, LG may even remove the ThinQ UP or ThinQ UP 2.0 branding from new smart appliances introduced to the Taiwanese market. Adjustments to specific features may also be made. However, no firm decision has been made yet, and this will depend on LG's subsequent evaluation.
Maintain an open attitude towards future smart home appliances and IoT interconnection
Prior to this, LG has already added support for Google Home and Amazon Alexa connection protocols to its home appliances, and will also add support forMatter Universal IoT Connection Specification, and a cloud-based solution jointly proposed by home appliance manufacturers including SamsungHCA Interface Specification, hoping to make its products more convenient for everyone to use by adding support for mainstream home appliances and IoT connection specifications.
However, LG also stated that although many companies are now joining many connection standards, they ultimately maintain the core technology in their own hands, so that the currently mainstream connection standards still have certain limitations. LG believes that even if it takes an open attitude, it will still remain on the sidelines of this trend. After all, from the perspective of commercial interests, many companies will still try their best to maintain a certain competitive advantage.
However, from a long-term perspective, LG anticipates that with the development of the Internet of Everything (IoT), interconnected collaboration between brands will become the future direction of development. However, the speed of advancement and supported functions will still depend on the ideas held by each brand.
