Anker (electronics)

Anker
Subsidiary
Industry Electronics
Founded July 2011 (2011-07)
Founder Steven Yang
Headquarters Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Area served
  • Asia
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Middle East
Products
Parent Anker Innovations
Website anker.com

Anker is a brand of Chinese electronics company Anker Innovations (formerly Oceanwing).[1] based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. The brand is known for producing computer and mobile peripherals, especially power banks.

History

An Anker 'Astro' mobile battery charger, introduced in 2011

Steven Yang started Anker in 2011 after working as senior software engineer for Google in California. He moved to Shenzhen, China, to be closer to the supply chain. Then-Google's head of sales in China, Dongping Zhao, was hired in early 2012 and became president of Anker Innovations.[2]

In 2012, Anker switched its focus from replacement laptop batteries to smartphone battery chargers and wall chargers, which now make up a majority of its sales.[2]

Anker maintains subsidiaries in California, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and China as well as contractors in South Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Romania.

Products

Anker charging devices use its PowerIQ proprietary technology, which detects the connected device and automatically optimizes the current delivered, thereby reducing the amount of time for a device to reach full charge.[2] Many of Anker's charging devices also use various fast-charging technologies, such as Quick Charge. Anker was mentioned in 2015 as the leading brand of mobile chargers on Amazon.com.[3]

Outside of its core competency, Anker also incorporates other product lines:

  • Eufy (smart home appliances, since September 2016)[4]
  • Soundcore (headphones and portable speakers)
  • Zolo (headphones and portable speakers, since 2018)
  • Nebula (portable video projectors)
  • Roav (car accessories)

Controversies

In 2014, an Indiegogo campaign to promote a set of magnetic accessories called Zolo was launched.[5] Due to prolonged manufacturing challenges the project was set on hold and 1863 backers were offered a 200% refund.

In 2016, a batch of Anker USB-C charging cables suffered a manufacturing defect that could potentially cause damage to connected hardware, leading to a recall.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Chokkattu, Julian (2018-01-08). "Anker Innovations' six key sub-brands focus on smart home, batteries, and more". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  2. 1 2 3 Staff, Nick (2017-05-22). "How Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  3. ↑ "How a Chinese startup became a top seller on Amazon.com". internetretailer.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  4. ↑ Kamps, Haje Jan. "Anker launches sister brand for home automation". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  5. ↑ "Zolo: A Magnetic Case, Battery & Cable System | Indiegogo". indiegogo.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  6. ↑ "Ankers away! USB-C cables recalled over freakin' fried phone fears". TheRegister.com. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
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