Day 1 Edition - 2018 Edition

NEWS Edgar van Velzen

NEWS Edgar van Velzen presented Beyerdynamic’s re-branding BEYERDYNAMIC IS TARGETING ITS NEWEST PRODUCTS AT YOU Beyerdynamic CEO Edgar van Velzen presented the professional audio company’s new look at an IFA press conference, Thursday. IFA meets the new METZ blue Dr Norbert Kotzbauer Founded in 1938 and celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, German CE giant Metz held a press conference early Thursday, August 30. There were several announcements: first was the revelation of a new brand – METZ blue – which will partner Metz Classic in a dual brand operation. With a view to stepping into the global arena, the two Metz brands will now be fully supported by parent company Skyworth, the Chinese CE heavyweight which also celebrates an anniversary this year – 30 years since its first factory was founded to manufacture remote controls. Dr Norbert Kotzbauer, CEO Metz CE, spoke about the “shark-ridden waters” of the TV market, explaining that Metz’s European R&D and “Made In Germany” tag would help the company succeed both within Europe and internationally, with different products shipping according to territory. “Metz Classic is dedicated to good service, ease of use and durability and is ‘always first class’; while METZ blue is more mid-range with the catchphrase ‘always your choice’” Kotzbauer said. Speaking next, Thomas Billing Product Manager, Metz CE, announced new products and a commitment to Google, under the banner “Software 2.0”. Billing demonstrated the success of Android as the OS of choice for smart TVs and smartphones and showed how new Metz TV units will focus less on a range of apps and more on streaming services, voice control and superior video performance Hall 6.2 Stand 201 “Distinctive orange branding and the Y that dominates the new logo are central to the re-brand,” he said. The letter Y appears in both words in the company’s name; ‘Generation Y’ is a key target audience; and Y is the first letter of ‘your’, the word that dominates its new marketing messages. A supplier of audio equipment to professionals since 1924, the company is now also established in the consumer marketplace and this re-branding consolidates that move. Beyerdynamic has introduced a “record number of products” to the market at IFA this year, and with emphasis on millennials many are manufactured with wireless and portability in mind. New at IFA is the Byrd range of in-ear headphones “for music lovers that expect the best sound, no matter where they are,” said van Velzen, adding that a highlight is the Soul Byrd, a “highquality all-rounder that will amaze every music lover”. The earphones feature a three-button remote for iOS and Android devices, allowing for access to Siri and other digital assistants, and an integrated microphone, turning it into a high-end headset. The Beyerdynamic Blue Byrd inear headset is a wireless companion to the Soul Byrd and comes with ‘Mosayc sound personalisation’ which aims to tune the sound to the user’s ears after a hearing test via Beyerdynamic’s MIY app Hall 1.2 Stand 213 Polaroid Originals promises “photography with soul” The brand that invented instant photography back in 1947 is reviving the analog instant photography business at this year’s IFA. Re-launched one year ago under the Polaroid Originals name, this analog photography renaissance is taking a big leap in Berlin with the release of the OneStep+. Forty years after Polaroid launched the original OneStep camera, the Polaroid OneStep 2 was released in 2017 with the aim of “bringing the iconic white frame to a global audience with a fun, affordable and easyto-use instant camera,” in the words of Polaroid Original CEO Oskar Smolokowski. But the reinvention of a cultural icon has gone next level with the OneStep+, a new Polaroid instant camera “with more ways to play”, and which connects to the Polaroid Originals app via Bluetooth to unlock creative tools such as double exposure, light painting features, remote trigger and manual mode. A powerful flash and long-lasting rechargeable battery lets users shoot as long as they have film. “It’s a brand and a company with a soul,” said Smolokowski, who informed a packed IFA press conference (where a giant OneStep+ camera was unveiled) that the brand will now be headquartered in Amsterdam. “At Polaroid, we don’t see analogue and digital competing,” the CEO added, with the OneStep+ drawing on the strengths of both mediums in fun and unique ways. The camera will be sold for €159.99 Hall 3.2 Stand 101 Oskar Smolokowski with the giant OneStep+ www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Friday 31 st August 2018 25