Anker Innovations

Anker Innovations Co., Ltd,[lower-alpha 1] commonly known as Anker,[lower-alpha 2] is a Chinese electronics manufacturer based in Changsha, Hunan, China. The company's product range includes phone chargers, power banks, earbuds, headphones, speakers, data hubs, 3D printers, charging cables, torches (flashlights), and screen protectors, among other products.

Anker Innovations Co., Ltd.
Native name
安克 (Ānkè)
FormerlyOceanwing
TypePublic
SZSE: 300866
IndustryElectronics
FoundedSeptember 2011 (2011-09)
FounderSteven Yang
Headquarters
Changsha, Hunan, China[1][2]
Area served
Worldwide
Products
Brands
  • Anker
  • Soundcore
  • Eufy
  • Nebula
  • AnkerMake
  • Roav
  • Zolo (defunct)
  • Bolder
  • KARAPAX (defunct)
Websiteanker.com

History

Anker was founded in 2011 by Steven Yang in Shenzhen, Guangdong, but the company soon moved its headquarters to Changsha, Hunan. In 2011, Anker expanded its focus from replacement laptop batteries to smartphone battery chargers, wall chargers, portable power and conferencing gear.[3] In early 2014, Anker Innovations hired Zhao Dongping, Google's then-head of sales in China,[3] who eventually became president in 2020.[4]

Availability

Aside from its domestic market in China, Anker also maintains subsidiaries in Japan, Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Prior to 2016, Anker products were almost exclusively sold on the Amazon Marketplace. Anker products are also now sold in big box stores such as Best Buy, Target and Kohl's. They are also available on various other e-commerce websites such as Shopee or Amazon and other third-party websites in agreement with Anker.[5]

Brands and products

Anker makes power banks, charging cables, wall adapters, power strips, USB hubs, and torches under the Bolder sub-brand. Soundcore makes Bluetooth earbuds, headphones, and speakers. Eufy produces smart home appliances and security devices. Nebula makes portable video projectors. Roav makes car accessories. Zolo was a precursor to the Soundcore brand. KARAPAX made phone cases.

Anker's line of charging cables have the trademarked name PowerLine, with the latest being PowerLine III. These cables have an MFi (Made for iPhone) certification from Apple.[6][7]

  • Anker PowerPort, a fast USB charger with 5 ports
    Anker PowerPort, a fast USB charger with 5 ports
  • Anker Astro, a mobile battery charger introduced in 2011
    Anker Astro, a mobile battery charger introduced in 2011
  • An Anker SoundCore interactive speaker display
    An Anker SoundCore interactive speaker display

Controversies

One of Anker's sub-brands, Eufy, claimed that all data recorded by their webcams was stored locally with no cloud access and further claimed that only the owner had access to their data. However, security researcher Paul Moore found out that images and videos were uploaded to Eufy's servers leased through AWS. Additionally, these images were tagged with user data. Even after deleting the images and his Eufy account, Moore found that the images remained on Eufy's AWS servers.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] This led to several sponsored entities, such as Linus Tech Tips, dropping Anker as a sponsor.[15] In December 2022, The Verge reported that Eufy had drastically changed its 'privacy commitment' page, removing many of their previous statements on the privacy aspects of its cameras.[16]

Notes
  1. Chinese: 安克创新; pinyin: Ānkè Chuàngxīn
  2. Chinese: 安克; pinyin: Ānkè

References
  1. Si, Ma (2019-05-27). "Making simple devices the best technology". China Daily. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. Sin, Ben (2018-08-01). "Best Known For Portable Chargers, Shenzhen's Anker Has Ambitious Expansion Plans". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  3. Staff, Nick (2017-05-22). "How Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  4. Patel, Nilay (2021-11-09). "Why charging phones is such a complex business, with Anker CEO Steven Yang". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 2022-04-17. For me, there is really no difference because we have a president, Zhao Dongping, who handles all the reporting and so on and so forth.
  5. "Anker Official Store". shopee.sg. Shopee Singapore. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  6. Gordon, Whitson (2021-05-26). "The best Lightning cable of 2021". CNN Underscored. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  7. Altland, Blair (2021-03-05). "Tested: Anker's Powerline III Flow Lightning Cable delivers a premium, soft-touch finish". 9to5Toys. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  8. Purdy, Kevin (2022-11-30). "Eufy's "No clouds" cameras upload facial thumbnails to AWS". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  9. Kerns, Taylor (2022-12-06). "Eufy Security app adds cloud disclaimer it should have had all along". Android Police. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  10. "Why Review Geek Can't Recommend Wyze or eufy Cameras Anymore – Review Geek". www.reviewgeek.com. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  11. Schoon, Ben (2022-12-01). "Eufy caught lying about local-only security cameras with footage sent to cloud, accessible in unencrypted streams [U]". 9to5Google. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  12. Why we're dropping this sponsor, retrieved 2022-12-07
  13. Eufy Lied., retrieved 2022-12-07
  14. "Eufy responds to camera security concerns". ZDNET. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  15. Sebastian, Linus (November 29, 2022). "WATCH: Why we're dropping this sponsor" (video). youtube.com. LMG Clips.
  16. Hollister, Sean (2022-12-16). "Anker's Eufy deleted these 10 privacy promises instead of answering our questions". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
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