By Patrick Avenell
Bosch and Siemens will this week unveil several new appliances across cooking, coffee machine and dishwasher categories at the 2013 IFA conference and exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
As a German company, BSH Home Appliances, which encompasses both brands, always takes the IFA show seriously, referring to it as the “world’s greatest appliance expo” in company statements.
Visitors to BSH’s stand at the show, which opens to the public on Friday 6 September 2013, will see the new Bosch FlexInduction cooktops, which feature QuickStart technology to automatically detect when the hob is switched on and a PowerBoost function to boil water 10 per cent faster than previous models.
Siemens will be showcasing advances in dishwashing and laundry appliances. There’s the TallTUB dishwasher, which include ‘Zeolith technology’ for water absorption, a full colour TFT touchscreen and ‘cool blue mood lighting’.
Also new from Siemens is a new fully integrated washing machine and heat pump dryer laundry set, which includes the i-Dos feature for automatic dispensing of washing detergent at optimum levels.
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The most intriguing new product on show at IFA will be the latest appliance in Bosch’s capsule coffee system, called the Tassimo Vivy. Bosch has thus far chosen not to enter the Australian capsule coffee category, despite this market booming over the past 24 months with celebrated releases from Nespresso (De’Longhi and Breville), Nestle (De’Longhi), Electrolux (in partnership with Lavazza) and several retail brands.
Bosch’s system uses ‘T DISC’ capsules to create coffee, tea, chai and chocolate drinks with one-touch operation.
“The Vivy has fully automated self-cleaning T DISC functionality and uses an LED display to alert users to water tank and descaling requirements,” said a Bosch statement. “Available in three vibrant colours (sweet pink, real black and snow white), the Tassimo Vivy is incredibly energy efficient. The system switches to standby after each use, ready for the next at a moment’s notice, making it one of the fastest and most energy-efficient coffee machines in the world.”
There is no news on whether Bosch plans on releasing this system in Australia.
Also being demonstrated on BSH’s stand is its new myBosch mobile app to provide global product support for customers.
“Bosch will also launch its new ‘myBosch’ mobile app, which enables around-the-clock, fast, personal customer service whilst providing digital product support for consumers globally. The new app marks the next step in customer benefits in a digital age.”
Several appliances brands have been promising greater mobile integration of a product’s functionality into smartphones and tablets for some time though it is fair to say that none have truly come up with a workable solution. It will be interesting to see if Bosch’s new app provides a workable solution that consumers will embrace.