Google has been having a rather tough time in the consumer market with its Google TV platform. The flagship product to carry the operating system at launch was the Logitech Revue. The product failed to sell and Logitech eventually pulled out of the market late last year. Google TV can still be found in some Smart TVs, and LG Electronics is set to try its hand in the market with products running the Google TV operating system.
LG, currently the second largest TV maker in the world, has announced that it plans to launch Smart TVs using Google TV in United States starting May 21. Reuters reports that the initial launch of the new Google TV-enabled Smart TVs by LG will take place in the United States.
"Production of Google TVs will start from May 17 from our factory in Mexico and U.S. consumers will be able to buy the product from the week of May 21," Ro Seogho, executive vice president of LG's TV business unit, told a small group of reporters.
Seogho also stated that LG would consider launching the line in Europe and other countries as well but that decision hasn't been made. LG plans to evaluate the performance of the TVs in the United States before launching globally.
The move is also a preemptive to combat against Apple. Apple has been rumored to be working on its own "smart" television.
The timing may be right for LG on the new Smart TV venture with research firms like iSuppli predicting 60% growth in the Smart TV market this year with 95 million sets shipped. Smart TVs will be the largest growth area in the TV industry this year according to analysts.