The rise of voice assistants
13 Mar 2019
4 Apr 2019
2018 saw smart speaker shipments up 125% on 2017 numbers but how do the major vendors, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, stack up in global market share?
In 2018, Amazon emerged as the top-shipping vendor – but only by one percent. They shipped 24.2 million Echo devices, while Google were hot on their heels, with 23.4 million. Three exclusively Chinese vendors – Alibaba, Xiaomi and Baidu – rounded out the top five (Canalys, 2019).
In addition, Amazon recently revealed that 100 million Alexa-integrated or built-in devices have been sold, which is a hugely significant milestone.
Interestingly, 2018 was quite up and down. In Q1 and Q2, Google Home outsold Amazon products, but in Q3 and Q4 Amazon stormed back in front following a refresh to their primary smart speaker range. They improved sound and aesthetics which helped them to grow 31% in the final few months of the year.
While the market share results for Q1 of 2019 are unknown, its safe to say Amazon and Google are in a constant battle. Integrating with third parties to enhance the user-experience will be key for both companies moving forward, with their AI almost on par.
Quantify’s integration with Amazon Alexa is one example. We will integrate with Google Home down the track. However, being linked with a powerhouse such as Amazon is very helpful. Our technology enables full home control via voice – with all devices, appliances, lights and more, linked and integrated with each other on one system. This will deliver an enhanced user-experience with Amazon Alexa.
It’s no secret that adoption of smart speakers will continue the upward trend as they become capable of controlling an entire home. This highlights the importance of companies like Quantify, to allow tech giants to differentiate themselves and provide a better user experience for home owners.
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