In the back of Tesla on the way home from an event in London last year, I asked an Apple guy where he thought the future of the #SmartHome would be played out – would it be on a specific device in my living room or just another app on my smartphone? He replied “no one wants another box in their home” meaning we already had enough clutter in the house and another box would just add to that.
If Amazon’s Alexa, is right then we will all want another box in the home, in fact we will want another box in every room.
Right now, this battle is being fought and the winner could take all.
Let’s clear something up first though. This is not just another a battle between technology giants, this is a whole new war and at the heart of it is our adaptability as humans to use our voice to interact with technology. We loved touch screens and as a result they exploded on to the scene specifically though smartphones making our lives easier and letting us interact with technology in a way that had never been possible before the stylus.
If Alexa wins over our hearts however then this could be the game changer. Why is it so important, well, if you can talk to your tech then you just need a microphone and a speaker – which is what the Amazon Echo is. That means that app branding could all but disappear leaving only one name on the box, and that name would be Amazon.
Whilst Google plays it safe backing both sides with both the Google Pixel phone and Google Home #SmartHome device, really only one player can truly dominate and who better than the owner of the World’s largest eCommerce store?
Apple has its AppleTV with remote control that you can talk to but it is a half measure – Apple really don’t believe people want more tech boxes in their homes.
For entrepreneurs with a focus in the digital space, one of their biggest challenges is keeping up with the pace of change.
This is especially true with mobile apps and Amazon Echo, the ‘AI digital assistant’ and voice-controlled hands-free speaker.
Is your business prepared for the new realities you’ll face with Amazon Echo? If not, then the #SmartHomeDinner event presents an opportunity for you to see how it works. The event, in partnership with Max Doelle of Kazendi, will explain the user experience of zero interface interaction over a high-tech three course fine dining experience.
