TikTok-owner ByteDance to enter consumer gadgets segment

ByteDance Ltd., owner of popular video app TikTok, is making its first foray into consumer hardware by developing educational gadgets.

The Chinese startup intends to release “educational hardware” in future, it said in a statement without elaborating. That initiative comes after the social media goliath acquired patents and hired staffers from smartphone maker Smartisan in January — a move it said at the time was geared toward the education market.

ByteDance — the world’s largest startup with a valuation of $75 billion — has made huge strides into online media with TikTok and news service Toutiao. Hardware would complement its exploration of online education, as it taps demand for child-tutoring from affluent households. Last year, it rolled out the Gogokid app, offering one-on-one English lessons with American teachers. It’s a burgeoning market: