GE’s going to see some big improvements. The smart lighting company is going to get a new name, Cync, and is growing beyond lighting to become a more general-purpose home automation brand. The changes followed the sale of GE Lighting to Savant Systems, a luxury smart home firm, in May 2020.
Like Cync, the device is expected to get a new app in March that is intended to be more “user-friendly and customizable.” The company is also introducing an outdoor smart plug, a smart switch for ceiling fans, and an indoor surveillance camera latter being the first real foray outside smart plugs, lamps, and lighting gadgets.
The Cync Indoor Camera can capture footage to a cloud or an SD card, and the camera has an integrated privacy blocker that can cover the lens. The outdoors plug will be launched in March, followed by the camera in May and the fan turn in June. Prices have not been announced. There is also a thermostat in the works for later in 2021.
General Motors sold its much more than 100-year-old GE Lighting division to Savant’s smart home business. Today, the current owner of the division launches a big rebranding campaign six months after the initial purchase.
There is obviously still meaning in the name of GE, even though it is divorced from its parent company. However, the C by GE line is having a rebrand in its new home. It seems perfectly reasonable—C GE’s was never the clearest term. Moving forward, the line would be called “Cync”—which, if it is not better, is at least removed.
C GE has been there since 2015, when the company introduced light bulbs that could be operated from a Bluetooth phone. They were an easy choice for anyone who got to pursue a smart bulb without spending too much, since the top competitive options needed costly hubs at the time.
Ever since, the product range has not dramatically changed now sells systems that help Wi-Fi, more light options are available, and a handful of controls and plugs are available. The conversion of the line into Cync seems like the first step in turning the product into something bigger.