The smart hardware market for the elderly needs to be driven by innovative manufacturers

The smart hardware industry is flourishing with a variety of products of various appearances and uses being exposed or launched. For example, the futuristic Google Glass, the electric car king Tesla, the most expensive smart watch Apple Watch, the Squirrel Smart Photo Frame for family communication, the Xiaomi bracelet for step counting, etc. However, most of them are designed to meet the novel needs of young people, and there are very few smart products designed for the elderly.

Apple Watch is definitely a toy for young people

From the sales point of view, smart hardware does perform better in the young market, while the elderly market is awkward. On the one hand, the aging population is increasing, and it is believed that there is a huge consumer population and market; on the other hand, manufacturers are complaining because it is difficult for contemporary elderly people to fully consume due to their experience and living habits.

In response to this situation, many manufacturers have chosen to avoid the market and are unwilling to invest more energy and money in the elderly market, which has resulted in very few truly distinctive smart products for the elderly. There are almost only so-called smart products such as smart medicine boxes and smart blood pressure monitors, which are actually very simple. Although there are relatively smart mobile phones for the elderly in the industry, judging from user feedback, they are not perfect.

In addition to these few, since 2014, a type of product that looks like a tablet but focuses on family communication and is defined as a smart photo frame has begun to appear one after another. Among them are trial products such as WeChat Photo Frame. However, when it comes to products that are truly outstanding and designed specifically for the elderly, it can be said that the only one is the Squirrel Smart Photo Frame under Squirrel Internet.

Squirrel Smart Photo Frame is designed for the elderly

According to official information, the Squirrel Smart Photo Frame is the second venture of Du Xueqian, a well-known angel investor born in the 1980s. This unique product was created based on the idea that parents cannot operate smart devices such as mobile phones and tablets, but want to see photos of their children frequently.

"0 operation" is the core concept of the device, which also attracted Lin Wei, the former marketing executive of Kingsoft Software and founder of the Weimian brand, Yu Rui, the former executive of Samsung Asia Pacific, and Cao Zhen, the former engineer of Motorola, to join and form a star entrepreneurial team. It quickly received a $10 million investment from BlueRun Capital, a well-known American investment institution.

One-click video call allows family members to communicate without distance

Since the Squirrel Smart Photo Frame was launched on December 8, 2014, many people think that its configuration is similar to that of a tablet. However, from the appearance point of view, the Squirrel Internet team has carefully designed it, with a curved skin-like back and a 15-degree bottom angle, which is convenient and stable to place. In order to make it easier for the elderly to use, the machine is pre-installed with the 0 operating system, which can return to the desktop with one click. The desktop menu has also been carefully selected, retaining only the most commonly used functions for the elderly and the most closely related to their daily lives, such as albums, calendars, weather, and FM radio. These humanized settings make it different from traditional tablets, and have won it a good reputation and are sought after by the elderly.

As a smart hardware, it is naturally necessary to connect to the Internet. Unlike many other products that only support WiFi, the Squirrel Smart Photo Frame fully considers the low WiFi coverage of rural households in fifth-tier and sixth-tier towns, and has added a China Unicom WCDMA card slot. Children can buy a China Unicom 3G card when buying a photo frame for their parents, so they can easily connect to the Internet and send photos or video chat.

China is facing an aging problem

According to data from relevant departments, China's elderly population has reached 200 million and is still increasing rapidly. As more and more young people choose to leave their hometowns and work in cities, the elderly left behind by their children are becoming an increasingly large group, and their physical and mental health is threatened. In recent years, there have been frequent reports of left-behind elderly people committing suicide or dying without anyone knowing, which is distressing. Smart products like Squirrel Smart Photo Frame, which are based on caring for the elderly, will surely be accepted by many filial children.

The greater significance of this kind of smart hardware designed for the elderly is to promote the elderly to enter the Internet era with a low threshold. For them, who are like children, they need to enjoy the convenience of intelligence. On this basis, family communication becomes super simple. Of course, this sub-industry needs more innovative hardware manufacturers like Squirrel Internet who have attitude and social responsibility to promote it. Only when everyone takes action can this market be truly activated. By then, the elderly can easily feel the infinite charm brought by the Internet and smart hardware.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.