The Portal was previously rumored to have a price tag of approximately $ 499 but Facebook was also said to have been considering lowering that figure in order to bring it closer to
the smart speakers sold by Google, Amazon, and Apple which retail for up to $ 400 but start at below $ 50.
Amazon appears to have the lead in terms of the amount of
smart speakers sold, but subjectively it seems that Google seems to be doing better at getting other manufacturers on board, resulting in a wider range of Google Assistant - equipped speakers.
There may only be 24 million
smart speakers sold this year in Western countries but many millions more devices such as watches and appliances with voice assistant access will add to that total.
That means total
smart speakers sold and in use will approach 40 million in the U.S..
This number reflects
all smart speakers sold globally.
This number reflects
all smart speakers sold globally.
And, it may be particularly true for unit volume for
smart speakers sold into the Chinese market.
Now that the HomePod is finally for sale, newer versions of
smart speakers sold by Google and Sonos are also offering better sound quality compared to older models, noted Consumer Reports.
Not exact matches
Apple began
selling its HomePod
smart speaker last week and, between mixed reviews and a furniture staining issue, it hasn't been the company's smoothest launch.
Facebook is mulling a plan to
sell its upcoming
smart speakers internationally before launching them in the U.S., as American users and politicians have increased their focus on Facebook and user privacy, according to two people who have had discussions with the company about the devices.
Google was late to the market with its
smart speaker, which it started
selling in the U.S. in November 2016, more than a year after Amazon's Echo became widely available in the U.S..
Google recently said it
sold more than one Home
smart speaker device every second since October.
-- and over 25 million
smart speakers were
sold last year alone, with Apple soon to release its version, the HomePod, meaning a good percentage of American homes have or will have an internet - connected assistant waiting patiently for someone in the house to say their wake word.
In 2017 20 million units of
smart speakers were
sold.
For now, the companies that
sell smart speakers say that those microphones only send recordings to the servers when you use the wake word.
Alizila is reporting that Alibaba has now
sold 2 million of its Tmall Genie
smart speakers, making it the market..
It is an important market for its online retail offerings and
selling more
smart speakers can lead directly to more online sales through voice commerce.
That figure would fit nicely with Strategy Analytics forecast of 3.8 million HomePods
sold in 2018 assuming a 50 % rise in total global
smart speaker sales.
Alibaba said in early January that it
sold 1 million Tmall Genie
smart speakers in 2017.
Alibaba announced recently that it
sold 1 million Tmall Genie X1
smart speakers in just the last four months of..
There is no word on how well Google Home
sold over the holidays in Australia, but it was one of the first markets where Google entered first with a
smart speaker and the company indicated earlier this month that it
sold more than 7.6 million devices globally in Q4 2017.
This represents a smaller lead by to forecasts from other analysts such as Strategy Analytics that predicted Amazon would
sell 65 % of all
smart speakers in 2017 with Google Home accounting for only 18 %.
Smart speakers were certainly the hottest
selling items in the electronics category during the Q4 2017 holiday shopping season.
Strategy Analytics forecasts that 12 million
smart speakers will be
sold in Q4 2017.
Two of the most popular devices
sold this past Christmas were the Google Home and Amazon Echo
smart speakers, both of which listen to user requests and attempt to interpret them in context.
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Amazon's tablets
sell well as do their e-readers, but the Internet of Things and the
smart home is where they're really shining at the moment, and it's all thanks to their Amazon Echo
smart speaker, but more specifically the Alexa software inside that powers the system for the device.
It remains to be seen whether insurers — or brokers — will get to the point where they're actually
selling insurance through
smart home
speakers.
Smart assistant
speakers aren't even close — an Amazon Echo costs $ 180; the Echo Show costs $ 230; Google Home
sells for $ 129; and perhaps most significantly, an Echo Dot is just $ 50.
Amazon's Echo Look may not be the best -
selling device from the Echo lineup of Alexa - powered
smart speakers, but those who purchased the camera /
smart speaker combo likely have a high interest in fashion, accessorizing, and shopping.
It allowed advertisers to reach a large
smart speaker customer base by aggregating voice app developers into a network whose reach could be
sold to advertisers en masse.
Amazon also never
sold Google's Home
smart speaker, and the company quietly booted some of Nest's products, including the nest thermostat E, off its store after Google first blocked YouTube on the Echo Show in September — something that will undoubtedly harm the sales of these devices during the crucial holiday season.
That figure would fit nicely with Strategy Analytics forecast of 3.8 million HomePods
sold in 2018 assuming a 50 % rise in total global
smart speaker sales.
Amazon's Echo and Echo Dot
smart speakers were a surprise hit,
selling millions of units in a category of product that previously didn't exist.
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said Amazon's retail website doesn't
sell competing products like the Google Home
smart speaker or Google's Chromecast streaming device.
A new e-commerce study from Adobe discovered that the Echo Dot is the best -
selling smart speaker in the market today.
Amazon is focusing on the
smart home so it can
sell its Prime members new security cameras and
smart doorbells, and hopefully convince them to use their Echo
speakers for more voice shopping.
The company made Google Assistant available on hundreds of millions of smartphones, started
selling Google Home in six new countries, introduced the Google Home Mini and Pixel Buds products and
sold a
smart speaker per second in the fourth quarter.
Some 24 million so - called
smart speakers are expected to
sell this year.
Alibaba announced recently that it
sold 1 million Tmall Genie X1
smart speakers in just the last four months of..
It is not clear whether Google was subsidizing these efforts, but it certainly helped Google
sell a
smart speaker every second in the fourth quarter racking up over 7.6 million in global device sales.
It is entirely possible for Spotify to build both Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa into the hardware, which would be a huge
selling point for people who want a third - party
smart speaker but want to stay in whichever ecosystem they prefer.
The Dot
sells for $ 49, and Amazon offers a variety of bundles that package it with Bose
speakers or other
smart home products.
Many of those retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Fry's Electronics
sell Amazon's line of
smart speakers.
Amazon has boasted about its Echo
smart speakers for years, though the company won't actually say how many devices it's
sold.
Ultimately, Samsung must realize that its
smart speaker should be a punch above others already populating the market, and Bixby can't be the lone
selling point.
HomePod will help Apple
sell Apple Music and also keep Siri, its digital assistant, relevant: the
smart speaker won't replace the smartphone, but it's still a category where Apple needs to perform well.