It was not so long ago that a smart home sounded like something straight out of a science fiction novel. Today, with technology growing exponentially, smart speakers and smart home devices have become a reality. Research indicates that brands like Amazon, Google, and Apple have launched their respective products in this category with built-in smart features and AI (Artificial Intelligence) voice assistants in a highly lucrative market. Also, the smart speaker ownership has touched around 66 million in the country alone as of 2018.
Let’s take a look at smart speakers that are popular at the moment and also explore some tips for buying them:
1. Why are smart speakers so popular?
Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have taken homes by storm because of their myriad applications and convenience coupled with ease of use. These are available on their respective devices of Apple Home Pod, Amazon Echo, and Google Home. These smart speaker devices can play your favorite music, answer any questions you have, and can also control other smart devices like the lights or appliances and smart locks in your house. These speakers are fast becoming the future of automation within the home.
While trying to find your personal assistant and a smart speaker, it is important to find what matches your needs and how it suits your home’s aesthetics and set up. Many products have their pros and cons, and it is essential to know these before choosing one to purchase.
2. What are some tips for buying smart speakers?
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind to ensure that you are on the right track:
- Choose what works for you: Maybe everyone is buying the Amazon Echo and why not, it is fabulous. However, if you are an Apple person, you can stick to your comfort zone and go for the Apple HomePod. Yet, there is no harm in trying something new, but just ensure that it is what you like and not what everyone else is using.
Let’s look at a quick face-off. Both Google and Amazon have great capabilities, but Google has always been the clear leader in AI, so many suggest going with Google Assistant. On the other hand, if you use Amazon, you get some added perks with Alexa with the Prime account. The HomePod from Apple does not have a complete Siri feature, but if you are an Apple fan, it is the way to go. - Focus on the sound: With so much emphasis on the smart features, it is easy to forget what matters the most. Do not forget to try out different smart speakers for their audio and see which sound appeals to you the most.
- Price is not everything: Finally, one of the most important tips for buying smart speakers is to not focus on the price alone. If you have a budget, alternatives like the Amazon Dot are available. They may not offer top sound but work fabulously as smart speakers.