smart home

The smart home market is expected to be worth $138 billion by 2023. Source: Shutterstock

Google gears up to lead world’s smart home revolution

By | 23 January, 2018

SMART homes are making life simple, easy, and convenient – and they’re here to stay.

Whether you want to keep an eye on your apartment while traveling overseas or set the temperature of the room to something more comfortable before you even arrive, smart home appliances are the answer.

Expected to be worth US$138 billion by 2023 according to a MarketsandMarkets report, the smart homes market will grow at a CAGR of 13.61 percent between 2017 and 2023. At first glance, it seems like Amazon is leading the crusade, but take a closer look and you’ll find out that Google isn’t far behind.

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Google has recently announced partnerships with top Original Equipment Manufacturers such as Sony, JBL, Lenovo, and LG. Known for producing top-of-the-line peripherals, these partners are soon going to launch new speakers with built-in display units powered by the Google Assistant.  

Compared to the Echo, these new devices will not only be able to tell you something but also show you what they mean – tapping into Google Maps, YouTube, and other services from within Google’s ecosystem.

Further, at CES 2018, delegates saw several new product launches and announcements, all exciting and beautiful, and all compatible with the Google Assistant. Whether your home needs a connected coffee maker or pressure cooker for your kitchen, a gesture-controlled faucet for your bathroom, or a smart deadbolt for your home, brands such as Gourmia, Kohler, and Schlage have you covered with exciting products coming soon.

To date, Amazon has pushed itself into the limelight with Alexa– which has become a household name this past year, with 634 compatible products listed on its website.

Amazon’s marketplace features a range of smart home products split into eight categories – lighting, outlets, thermostats, door locks, cameras, TV & video, audio & home theatre, and other solutions. Created by popular consumer brands such as Phillips, Honeywell, and GE, these devices show every bit of Alexa’s success as a concept.

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Amazon seems to have used a simple formula to win the smart home war so far: “don’t be afraid to try”.

Alexa, Amazon’s voice-based intelligent assistant platform, seems to support any device that is technically compatible, regardless of make or product category. It even powers a variety of robot vacuum cleaners, smart sprinklers, and ceiling fans. Obviously, it’s a hit among consumers willing to be early-adopters of exciting gadgets that make like better – without even lifting a finger.

From the looks of it, the competition between Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant will be intense. However, given Google’s comprehensive ecosystem of supporting solutions, it seems to be gearing up to win the smart home war once and for all with new product launches set for 2018 and 2019.



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