Samsung Gets a Head Start on Apple With Smart TVs
By: Looks like a "smart" watch isn't the only product Samsung will challenge Apple in this year.
(Read More: Samsung Working on Wristwatch to Rival Apple)
On Wednesday, the Korean company is introducing a new line of smart TVs that will make the TV interface more like that of a mobile device, said Tim Baxter, president of Samsung America.
(Read More: Is China Trying to Take Apple Down? )
"There's been a great deal of that you see in smartphones and in tablets and so what we are introducing is a new line of smart TVs that really allow you to organize and curate content in ways similar to what you're doing on a smartphone or a tablet, for that matter," Baxter said.
(Read More: Changing Teams: Adobe Tech Chief Headed to Apple )
Baxter said that Samsung's research revealed that 80 percent of tablet owners were using their devices to watch TV, so the company designed the new line of TVs to be more integrated with tablets. Users can control the TV with their tablet and share content between the two devices.
Samsung has been making smart TVs for six years, but the company may have felt under pressure to release its new line early in the year because of speculation that Apple will roll out its own TV in the fall.
(Read More: When to Expect Apple iTV, iPhone 5S and Tablets: Analyst )
However, Baxter said that Samsung isn't really concerned with what Apple or other competitors are doing.
"Our focus isn't so much on what someone else is doing, but really about what we're creating," Baxter said.
—By CNBC's Cadie Thompson
