Are AI learning machines costing tens of thousands of yuan targeting a new generation of gullible parents?
A huge cake is laid out in front of us. Internet giants, online education titans, and smart hardware companies are rushing in one after another, and the learning machine market has quickly entered an era of "chaotic competition".
The post - 90s generation, who pestered their parents to buy "Little Overlord" learning machines when they were kids, are now starting to look for learning machines for their next generation. Looking at the learning machines priced at over ten thousand yuan each, they can't help but wonder, "Did I really use the Little Overlord for learning back then?"
In the 1990s, Little Overlord was the "pioneer of learning machines". By connecting it to a TV, you could practice typing and programming. Many people bought it in the name of learning, but secretly, behind their parents' backs, they furiously pressed the gamepad buttons, turning it into
a launcher for games like "Contra" and "Super Mario".
Image source: Internet
Thirty years have passed, and the era of AI has arrived. Learning machines have also completed their evolution. Descriptions like "AI super - evolution", "ultra - top - notch resources", "over 2.4 billion question banks for primary, junior, and senior high schools", "3000 tutoring teachers available for online Q&A", and "a large eye - protecting screen similar to natural light and nano - paper texture" are simply dazzling.
Photo taken by Hedgehog Commune
Along with the upgrade of functions, of course, the price has also increased. The Little Overlord learning machines only cost two or three hundred yuan each back then, while today's AI learning machines can cost up to nearly ten thousand yuan. Just like the rising price, the market scale has also expanded. According to iiMedia Research, by 2025, the market scale of China's intelligent education hardware will exceed 100 billion yuan.
A huge cake is laid out in front of us. Internet giants, online education titans, and smart hardware companies are rushing in one after another, and the learning machine market has quickly entered an era of "chaotic competition".
In the AI era, the learning machine market has changed
In China, the development history of learning machines can stand shoulder to shoulder with the history of mobile phone manufacturing.
If you don't know about "Little Overlord", you must have at least heard of the "girl from the point - reading machine advertisement". Back then, that girl in a pink dress with a sweet smile brought the advertising slogan "Point where you don't understand, so easy!" to every street and alley. Not only was she popular, but also the BBK point - reading machine she mentioned in the ad.
This was exactly the "star product" among early learning machines. In 2008, the sales volume of BBK point - reading machines exceeded 2 million units. At that time, the price of point - reading machines was around one thousand yuan. Some netizens recalled that their mothers spent nearly a month's salary to buy one for them. Thinking about it now, it wasn't a cheap item.
Image source: BBK
During the same period, BBK was competing with Okwave and Readboy. Okwave's sales revenue once exceeded 2.5 billion yuan in 2005. Readboy survived in the post - point - reading - machine era with new student devices such as student tablets and phone watches and finally went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2022. We tried to find some learning experiences of early learning machine users on the Internet, but unfortunately, all we found were game guides.
With just a little retrospection, we can find that the boom in the learning machine market is not an accident but a return. To analyze why the learning machine market has become popular again, we need to look back at why it cooled down in the past 15 years.
Around 2010, smartphones and tablet devices were widely popularized in the domestic market, and the penetration rate of laptops also increased significantly. The market demand for learning machines dropped precipitously. The reason was simple: both mobile phones and computers could be used to look up words, access materials, and search for video courses directly. Instead of buying a learning machine with single - function, it was better to download a few learning apps.
In contrast to the development trajectory of the learning machine market, online education products were in a period of rapid expansion when the learning machine market was shrinking.
There are two important factors contributing to the resurgence of the learning machine market: First, the education and training industry has slowed down its growth after being regulated by the "Double Reduction" policy; second, with the arrival of the large - model era, educational hardware has regained its unique value compared to smartphones.
iiMedia Research once released the "Research Report on the Trends of China's Intelligent Learning Machine Market from 2024 to 2025", which showed that in 2023, the market scale of China's intelligent education hardware reached 80.7 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 29.53%. It is predicted that by 2025, the market scale will exceed 100 billion yuan.
The new user demands have reshuffled the learning machine market. Traditional learning machine manufacturers such as BBK and Readboy have lost their first - mover advantage.
Currently, the leading enterprises can be divided into two categories. One category includes education companies such as Zuoyebang and Xueersi under TAL Education Group. The other category consists of technology companies such as iFlytek and Xiaodu.
The sales data also reflects a similar trend: In 2025, the top four best - selling learning machines on the Douyin 618 hot - sale list were Xueersi, Xiaodu, Yuanfudao, and iFlytek. They either have a solid foundation in educational resources or have accumulated hardware and technological capabilities.
From the perspective of business development needs, even though the market competition is intensifying, neither of these two types of companies will give up the lucrative learning machine market. Companies like Baidu and iFlytek, which entered the market from the smart hardware side, need to find profitable application scenarios for their AI capabilities. AI + education is undoubtedly the path with the highest verification level and product maturity at present; TAL Education Group and Yuanfudao urgently need learning machines to become their second pillar of revenue. At the same time, they can use the user stickiness generated by hardware terminal manufacturing to support their education business. Although Yuanfudao has incubated cross - border brands such as the chain coffee brand Grid in recent years, education is still a more core and familiar field.
The dense offline learning machine franchise stores are witnessing this increasingly fierce competition. On the same floor of a shopping mall in Haidian District, Beijing, there are four learning machine stores within 50 meters, namely Xueersi, Yuanfudao, BBK, and iFlytek. The prices of the learning machines sold in these stores range from over 2000 yuan to 9999 yuan. Almost every salesperson will emphasize that regardless of the price range, the courses built - in the products of the same brand are the same. "The price difference is mainly due to different hardware devices, just like mobile phones and computers."
The salespeople of Xueersi and Yuanfudao will first introduce their own course systems. "After all, we are originally in the education business, so we definitely have more advantages than those hardware - focused companies."
The salesperson of BBK emphasizes that they record their own courses without collaborating with other education companies. "There are former teachers from New Oriental and Xueersi."
The learning machines of iFlytek are the most expensive. The salesperson mainly introduces its AI capabilities, such as test - paper diagnosis, personalized review, and AI - based test - paper compilation. To alleviate parents' concerns about the course quality, in addition to the AI functions, the salesperson will also specifically emphasize, "All our courses are recorded on - site by public - school teachers."
Photo taken by Hedgehog Commune
Is AI too powerful, or are parents too anxious?
Learning machines are definitely a digital product with East Asian characteristics.
Besides China, perhaps only Japan and South Korea can rival each other in terms of the length and intensity of the learning machine development history.
Japan's Tomy launched the learning machine Pyuuta as early as 1982, and its main function was to allow students to learn programming in Japanese; South Korea's Vocamaster started selling English learning machines and Vocamaster around 2000.
It was once very popular in South Korea and even entered the Chinese market around 2011. Up to now, South Korean local companies are still continuously launching niche learning machines such as pocket learning machines and early - education machines.
The popularity of learning machines in the East Asian market is partly due to the rare consensus among parents in China, Japan, and South Korea on education issues - regardless of family conditions, children's education cannot be neglected. In countries with a strong national education atmosphere, the pursuit of learning is the biggest motivation for parents to spend money, and it is also possible to establish the consumer mindset that "tablets cannot replace learning machines".
Businesses also understand the psychology of parents who don't want their children to lose at the starting line. They create a lot of momentum in product promotion, either highlighting "courses from preschool to senior high school are available" or promoting various exclusive recorded and live courses.
Zhou Ming (pseudonym) is a parent in Shanghai. Her child has just graduated from kindergarten and will enter primary school in the fall. But Zhou Ming is already a "seasoned researcher" of learning machines. She started investigating the learning machine market when her child was in the middle class of kindergarten and has been researching for two years.
"I will definitely buy a learning machine, it just depends on the right time." Zhou Ming is very determined.
After learning the knowledge in class, do children still need a learning machine? This question is similar to asking whether a child needs an after - school tutoring class after going to school.
In an era when every child takes after - school classes, it seems to be a trend for every child to have a learning machine.
Zhou Ming introduced that before her child officially entered primary school, the school had already assigned some pre - arranged homework, such as reading phonetic readers, learning addition and subtraction mental arithmetic, and practicing basic English expressions. As a working mother, she has limited time to accompany her child every day. She is worried that her child will fall behind at school, so she is considering buying a learning machine, hoping it can be like a "personal tutor" for her child.
"Of course, it would be best if a child can absorb all the knowledge in class. But now, a class only lasts 45 minutes, and the teacher's teaching progress is fast. Moreover, schools now require students to learn in advance and don't give children much time for repeated practice. Not all children have good learning abilities. For children, I hope the learning machine can play the role of review and preview. In addition, it should also have the function of improving performance, allowing children to learn deeper content than in class. But for an ordinary child like mine, I just hope she can consolidate and master the knowledge she has learned." Zhou Ming said.
Currently, most learning machines on the market have a complete course system, are equipped with after - class exercises, can correct homework, automatically organize wrong - answer questions, summarize weak points, and customize a learning system. If a child gets a math question wrong, it will immediately present three similar questions and accompany it with a soul - searching question: "Do you want to practice this knowledge point again?" Today's learning machines are so powerful that they are like a Haidian - based top teacher available 24/7, proficient in Chinese, math, physics, English, and chemistry. They can teach anytime and anywhere, unrestricted by time and space. They can help children make learning plans and reduce the time parents need to invest.
Photo taken by Hedgehog Commune
For Zhou Ming, the learning machine can also play another role: liberating parents.
She mentioned that a learning machine like iFlytek's has a picture - book reading - aloud function, which is very suitable for young children, combining education with entertainment. But she emphasized that having a learning machine doesn't mean parents can neglect their children's education. Just as she also believes that a learning machine cannot replace a real teacher. Face - to - face teaching and directly identifying problems are things that a learning machine cannot do.
Expensive learning machines are still consumables
Today's learning machines look no different from tablets in appearance. But if you have a tablet, do you still need a learning machine? Why can't you just download learning materials on a tablet for your child to use?
Searching for learning resources takes time. Learning machines can directly match the content, and they are more professional. Whether it's learning resources or additional functions like eye - protection, they are more powerful and more suitable for children. This is Zhou Ming's experience.
But can you really buy a top - student by spending a lot of money? Behind the prosperous market appearance, learning machines also hide many problems.
Some parents spent thousands of yuan only to find that the built - in courses were not as good as the free online courses on Bilibili, and they had to pay extra to unlock more new courses; some products claimed to have "eye - protecting black technology", but the screen cracked like a spider web within the warranty period; even more terrifying, some sub - standard products can even affect children's health.
According to statistics from "Consumer Report", from 2021 to 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation and provincial and municipal market supervision bureaus conducted a total of 78 batches of spot - checks on children's learning machines, of which 13 batches were unqualified, with a pass rate of 83.3%. The unqualified problems mainly focused on sound requirements, markings and instructions, and radiation interference.
Products that fail to meet the sound requirements can easily damage children's hearing; learning machines lacking markings and instructions may pose potential safety hazards; and unqualified radiation interference can affect the normal operation of other electronic and electrical products near the learning machine. However, well - known brands such as iFlytek, Readboy, and Little Overlord have passed the quality spot - checks.
For parents, the safe use of learning machines is the top priority, especially protecting children's health. This is why