After new comments from chairman Jonney Shih, Asus smartphones look like the next victim of the AI boom. Buyers are unlikely to see new Zenfone or ROG Phone models hit the market. The company will pivot to bringing AI technology to other mobile devices, including smart glasses.
Due to the AI revolution being adopted, businesses are rapidly changing their priorities. Asus chairman Jonney Shih has verified rumors that the company would cease with the launch of new smartphones. Rather, it will pursue profit in the promising AI industry through robotics and smart glasses.
VideoCardz covered recent remarks of Shih, which were captured by the Taiwanese Money UDN. On the 16th of January, at an end-year gala, he announced, “There would be no further addition of new models of mobile phones under the Asus name. Subsequently, a new Zenfone or ROG Phone might not feature in the near future. Nevertheless, Shih promised to contribute to the current models in the transition.
The chairman clarified that two of the areas that the company will look into include AI robot and robotics and AI glasses. The cause of the change will be clear with regard to its financial report in the year 2025. The growth in revenue was 26.1 percent over the last year, although a large portion of the rise was a result of more AI server implementation.
Are smart glasses a gamble to Asus?
Another reason was that Asus never made itself dominant in smartphones with its high-end Zenfone or with its gaming-oriented alternatives. Google and Apple smart glasses also have not been able to find their way to mainstream use. Nonetheless, Shih can be of the opinion that the progress in AI technology will render the devices a less of a niche product.
The company has its vision, in the inside, that TW will be more than the Qualcomm chips that power Asus smartphones. More of its laptops based on Snapdragon X would be visible to buyers. The Dragonwing platform of Qualcomm will be fundamental to more autonomous robots.
Shih also touched upon the problem of the lack of memories, saying that the existing laptops and other products can be made more expensive. It intends to rely on the design thinking/supply chain partnership to reduce the effect of increased RAM prices. Asus has already increased some of the notebooks and desktops MSRPs. Nevertheless, it asserts that it possesses sufficient parts to postpone other increases in prices.
Source(s)
VideoCardz, Inside TW (Chinese Traditional)
